Notice Banning Salman Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ ‘Untraceable’; Delhi HC closes petition | India News – Times of India

The Delhi High Court on Thursday concluded proceedings on a petition challenging the 1988 ban on import of Salman Rushdie’s controversial book ‘The Satanic Verses’, imposed during Rajiv Gandhi’s government.
The court ruled that since officials could not produce the relevant notice, it should be treated as non-existent, news agency PTI reported.
A bench headed by Justice Rekha Palli issued an order on November 5, noting that the petition, pending since 2019, had become ineffective. The court stated that the petitioner would now have legal rights regarding the book.
The government’s 1988 ban on importing the Booker Prize recipient’s “The Satanic Verses” was implemented over public order concerns, following worldwide protests by Muslims who viewed the book as sacrilege.
The petitioner, Sandipan Khan, submitted before the court that he could not import the book due to a notification issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs on October 5, 1988. This notification, which prohibited the import of the book under the Customs Act, was not available on official platforms and with the relevant authorities.
The bench, which also included Justice Saurabh Banerjee, noted that no respondent could produce the notice dated October 5, 1988. Even the alleged issuing authority indicated that it was unable to provide a copy while the petition was pending since 2019.
The court concluded that without proof of the existence of the notice, they could not assess its validity, thus declaring the petition ineffective.
The petitioner had also challenged other related Home Ministry directives of 1988 and sought permission to import the book through the publisher or international online retailers.
Throughout the legal proceedings, the authorities consistently maintained that the notice was untraceable and therefore could not be filed.