What's happened
A Delhi court has lifted the 36-year import ban on Salman Rushdie's novel, 'The Satanic Verses', after the Indian government failed to produce the original notification. This ruling opens the door for the book's potential availability in India, though its future in bookstores remains uncertain.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Guardian, the Delhi High Court's ruling presumes that no official notification banning the book exists, effectively lifting the ban. Salman Rushdie's novel, which has been controversial since its publication, faced backlash from some Muslim communities, leading to a fatwa against him. The Independent notes that while the ruling opens a path for the book's import, bookstores in India remain uncertain about its availability. The New York Times emphasizes that the bureaucratic failure to locate the original ban order led to this decision, raising questions about the role of government in regulating literature. Overall, the coverage reflects a cautious optimism about the implications for freedom of expression in India.
How we got here
The ban on 'The Satanic Verses' was imposed in 1988 due to concerns over its content, which some deemed blasphemous. The ban was challenged in court by Sandipan Khan, who argued that the notification could not be found, leading to this week's ruling.
More on these topics
-
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the second-most populous country, the seventh-largest country by land area, and the most populous democracy in the world.
-
The Satanic Verses is British writer Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published September 26, 1988 and inspired in part by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
-
Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, also known in the Western world as Ayatollah Khomeini, was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, and cleric.