India Ends 36-Year Ban On Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses, HC Says Can’t Find Ban Order

Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel, The Satanic Verses, which has been banned in India since 1988, can now be legally sold in the country due to a bureaucratic oversight. The Delhi High Court ruled that the ban imposed by the customs department no longer holds, as the original notification regarding the ban is missing. On November 5, the Court concluded that the notification “does not exist,” effectively clearing the way for the book’s sale in India.

Ruling on Missing Notification

The Court’s decision came after a division bench, comprising Justice Rekha Palli and Justice Saurabh Banerjee, noted that the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) had failed to produce the notification since 2019. The petition challenging the ban had been filed earlier that year. The judges observed that in light of this situation, it was impossible to validate the ban, which led to the ruling that the matter could not proceed further. As a result, the petition was dismissed as irrelevant.

Additionally, the Court granted the petitioner, Sandipan Khan, the right to take legal action regarding the book, as permitted by Indian law.

Background of the Satanic Verses Ban and Global Controversy

The Satanic Verses attracted significant backlash upon its publication in 1988 for its portrayal of pre-Islamic goddesses and themes related to Islam, including figures like Prophet Muhammad and the archangel Gabriel. The book’s release led to worldwide protests, with many Muslim leaders condemning it as blasphemous. Iran’s Supreme Leader at the time, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death, and the Japanese translator of the book, Hitoshi Igarashi, was tragically murdered.

In India, prominent figures such as Syed Shahabuddin and Congress leader Alam Khan demanded the book’s ban, citing the blasphemy accusations. As a result, the Indian government imposed a ban on the book’s import in 1988.

The Petition Against Satanic Verses Ban

The recent legal challenge was initiated by Sandipan Khan, who sought to import the book directly from its publishers, arguing that the ban was unconstitutional. In his petition, Khan also pointed out that the notification could not be produced after he requested it under the Right to Information (RTI) Act in 2017.

In a tragic twist, in 2022, Rushdie was attacked in the U.S. at the Chautauqua Institution, where he was stabbed by Hadi Matar, a man linked to Shia extremism. Rushdie survived the brutal assault, though he lost one eye and suffered serious injuries.

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