BJP spokesperson Gourav Vallabh, on Thursday, welcomed the Delhi High Court's decision to lift the 36-year-old ban on the distribution and sale of author Salman Rushdie's controversial book 'The Satanic Verses'.
Vallabh urged people to respect the court's verdict and refrain from commenting on it. He also recalled the original ban, calling it a result of the Congress government's appeasement politics.
Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses' can now be found in Indian bookstores following a ban by the Congress government led by Rajiv Gandhi in 1988.
The Delhi High Court ordered on a petition challenging the ban that officials failed to produce the October 5, 1988 notification supporting the ban. That, in itself, led to the assumption that such notification did not exist.
In the past few days, few copies of the book, which have ignited protests worldwide for its allegedly blasphemous content, were spotted at bookstores such as Bahrisons Booksellers in New Delhi.
Availability of the book has caused objections by certain Muslim organisations that have appealed to the Central government to reinstate the ban.
Reacting to the development, Vallabh said, "The Delhi High Court has given its verdict, which concluded that the notification under which the book was banned 36 years ago did not exist. The High Court has made its ruling and I would not like to comment on that.
He highlighted India's democratic values saying, "India, being a democratic country, provides space and respect for all kinds of ideas. If the book is back in circulation today, it is because of the High Court's decision.
"The book was banned 36 years ago under an appeasement policy. I do not know the exact reasoning behind the High Court's decision, but it has ruled on the non-existence of the notification. Therefore, the book is being sold today. Any political party or individual should refrain from commenting on the court's decision," Vallabh further told IANS.
The High Court ruling has sparked renewed debates over freedom of expression and political decision-making over contentious works.
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