Some Muslim organisations have strongly condemned the renewed sale of Salman Rushdie's controversial book "The Satanic Verses" in India and appealed to the central government to reinstate the ban on it.
Rushdie's book has returned to Indian bookshelves, 36 years after it was banned by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1988. Currently, 'The Satanic Verses' is available at Bahrisons Booksellers in Delhi-NCR.
In November, the Delhi High Court closed proceedings on a plea challenging the Rajiv Gandhi government's ban on the book's import. The court stated that the failure of officials to present the relevant notification from October 5, 1988, led to the assumption that the notification did not exist.
Maulana Kaab Rashidi, legal advisor for the Uttar Pradesh unit of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (AM), expressed concern over the book's reappearance in India.
"If freedom of expression hurts someone's sentiments, it is a legal offence. 'The Satanic Verses' is a blasphemous book. Selling such a ...