The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea to give an assignment to ban Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel, The Satanic Verses, which could keep the book effective in India. The plea was heard before a bank consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, and was submitted by lawyer Chand Qureshi. Why was the plea submitted? The requesters argued that the novel, which has long been a topic of international controversy, should be banned in India due to the alleged blasphemous content. The lawyer representing the requesters cited the Delhi High Court order in support of the plea. However, the Supreme Court has previously closed proceedings on a challenge for the Rajiv Gandhi government’s 1988 decision to ban the importation of the book. It was noted at the time: “Since authorities did not yield the notice in question, it must be assumed that it does not exist.” How did the Supreme Court respond? The Apex Court Bench noted that the plea was effectively a challenge for the earlier ruling of the Delhi High Court. At the discharge of the petition, the bank noted: “You dispute the Delhi High Court ruling effectively.” With this ruling, the Supreme Court indicated that there was no fresh legitimate obstacle to the availability of the book in the country. What are satanic verses and what was the controversy? The Satanic verses, published in 1988, are a Booker-winning novel by British Indian author Salman Rushdie. The book has provoked widespread controversy among Muslim communities worldwide, which certainly considered blasphemous and abusive to Islam. The setback included protests, book ban and even threats for Rushdie’s life, including a Fatwa issued by Iran’s highest leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. In India, the center initially banned the import of the book on Law and Order site, reflecting the intense sensitivity around the content. What is the historical context? The center banned the import of Rushdie’s Booker-winning novel in 1988, citing law-and-order-coming. Nevertheless, the challenges for the ban have come up in Indian courts over the years, reflecting ongoing debates on freedom of expression towards religious sensitivities.
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