Ban on Salman Rushdie’s ‘The Satanic Verses’ Lifted in India

Delhi High Court’s Order Following Missing Ban Notification

New Delhi – In 1988, India imposed a ban on foreign author Salman Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses. Now, the Delhi High Court has lifted this ban because the government was unable to present the notification enforcing the ban. The High Court stated that, “if the notification enforcing the ban cannot be produced, it should be assumed to ‘not exist.’” As a result, the book can now be imported and sold in India.

🚨📚 After 35 years, the ban on Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” has been lifted in India! 🇮🇳

Delhi High Court made the ruling due to the government’s inability to produce the 1988 ban notification.

This landmark decision comes after a 2019 petition to import the book.

🚫… pic.twitter.com/ybnoxnl0Lt

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) November 9, 2024

What is the Case ?

In 2019, a person named Sandipan Khan filed a petition to import the book. Sandipan mentioned that he had ordered The Satanic Verses, but due to a notification issued by the Customs Department 36 years ago, he could not import the book. However, this notification was not available on any official site, nor were related documents accessible to any concerned authority.

What is in the Book ?

The novel The Satanic Verses translates to Shaitani Ayatein in Hindi, which itself caused objections among Muslims. In this novel, Rushdie wrote a fictional story where two film actors travel from Mumbai to London by plane. One character, Jibril, is an actor, while the other, Saladin, is a voice-over artist. A Khalistani terrorist hijacks the plane. During its journey over the Atlantic Ocean, the terrorist detonates a bomb. Both Jibril and Saladin survive despite falling into the sea, but their lives change completely afterward. One day, Jibril dreams about certain stories related to the life of the founder of a particular religion. He then considers presenting the history of that religion in a new way. These stories were seen as insulting to Islam, which sparked protests against the book. India was the first country to ban this novel, and in February 1989, Muslims organized a major protest in Mumbai against Rushdie. In police firing during the protests, 12 people died, and over 40 were injured.

In 1989, Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a declaration calling for Rushdie’s execution. Just two years ago, Rushdie was attacked in the United States, leading him to lose an eye.