Shivani Gadhavi –

Published on: November 26 , 2021 at 15:20 IST

Om 25th November, 2021 the Delhi High Court dismissed a petition filed by Delhi based lawyer, seeking ban on publication of Veteran Congress Leader Salman Khurshid’s book ‘Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in our Times’.

Justice Yashwant Verma of the Delhi High Court was hearing the petition filed a Delhi-based lawyer Vineet Jindal via his counsel Advocate Raj Kishor Choudhary. The petition sought a ban on the Former Cabinet Minister’s book stating it hurt sentiments of Hindus and can cause communal violence in the Nation.

The Advocate argued, “I am asking for this part to be removed. Communal riots start like this. At least notice should be issued,” and further stated, “Even the author’s home in Nainital has been damaged… Though there have not been any significant incidents yet but it is likely to happen.”

The Counsel also mentioned on behalf of the Petitioner that even under Article 19, freedom of speech, there are reasonable restrictions laid down which aid in preventing ‘breach of peace’.

Advocate Raj Kishor Choudhary also stated that the respondent is an influential politician and public figure, and what he writes and says can affect the mentality of general public. Hence, there is a high probability that law and order in the country could be disrupted due to the book’s content possibly agitating the Hindu Community.

The Delhi Court dismissed the plea and stated, “If you don’t agree with the author, don’t read it. Please tell people book is badly authored, read something better,” and Justice Verma further reasoned, “What can we do if people are feeling this. If they didn’t like the passage, they can skip the chapter. They could have shut their eyes if they are feeling hurt.”

Related Post