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The project covers instance of books, which were banned and discusses the validity in the eyes of the general conscience.
Citation preview
LEGALITY OF BOOK BANNING
Subject – Law and Language
Submitted To – Dr. Prassananshu
Submitted By – Hemant Kothari
Roll No. – 31BALLB2011
2011
National Law University, Delhi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Serial No.
Chapter Page
1 Acknowledgements 1
2 Introduction 2
3 Methodology 4
4 Observation table 6
5 Analysis & results 21
6 Discussion 24
7 Conclusions 28
8 References 30
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I feel very privileged in expressing my gratitude to Dr. Prasannanshu without whose help, I
would not have been able to complete my project. I would also like to thank my parents for
encouraging me to complete this project and my elder sister, who helped me in completion of
my project by giving her valuable insights to the topic.
I would also express my thanks to all those friends, who helped me directly or indirectly in
my research work.
INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
"Don't join the book burners. Don't think you are going to conceal thoughts by concealing evidence that they ever existed."
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, speech at Dartmouth College, June 14, 1953
"The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame."-- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891
Historically, religious and cultural disagreements have driven emperors, religious leaders,
and members of the ruling class to curtail readership. (Manchanda,2011) The practice of
book banning has its origin from the time the books were started to be written. In earlier
times, it was referred as book burning as books were burned to symbolize the banning of the
book. Since then the practice of book banning is still continued in every part of the world on
different grounds of which some may be logical but in most of the cases it doesn’t seem to
be. In other words, book banning can be characterized as a civilized form of book burning.
(A.G. Noorani, 2007)
In simple words, book banning is the practice of banning those books, which in any way
affect the social, cultural and political order of the society or may arouse hatred or enmity
among different groups or communities of the society, etc.. The justifications for banning a
book are always open to different interpretations by different people. There is no definite
standard of evaluating any book and to justify the above mentioned reason for banning that
book. That being the state of affairs the topic of book banning has been widely debated in the
past and is still debated. In a case of book banning, generally it appears to have active
participation of three groups viz. the writer and the publishers of the book, the affected group
or community, which may be called as pressure group and the state or government, which
bans the book following the due process of law (in most of the cases in India, it hasn’t
followed the due process of law). Thus, the legality of book banning can be discussed by
evaluating the stands of all the parties on their respective legal and logical basis.
To ban a book in India, the government takes recourse to two statutes. One is the Customs
Act 1962, by this act the government prevents the import of the books in India, thus, in a way
prevent the circulation of the book to be banned. The other method is to confiscate the books
published or sold in India. This power is derived from section 95 of Criminal Procedure
Code 1973, which empowers the state government to declare “forfeited to the government”
any newspaper, document or book which, in its opinion, offends against the following
provisions of the penal code; namely, S 124-A (“sedition”), S 153-A (promoting ill will
“between different…groups” based on religion, language, caste, etc), S 153-B (imputing
disloyalty to the country to any such group); S 292 (obscene literature); S 293 (sale of
obscene literature to the young); or S 295-A (insult to religious feelings of any group of
citizens with “deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings” of that
class). (Noorani, 2011)
The government, however use these provisions to serve its political intentions. There are
many instances of book banning, where the governments have banned the books invoking the
above mentioned sections of Indian Penal Code and subsequently, the judiciary has also
quashed these unqualified bans, securing the freedom of expression of the citizens.
Before independence, these provisions to ban the books or any other document were used by
the Britishers to suppress the rise of Indian nationalism. The raj used to ban all those books or
publications, which aroused patriotism in the people of India, on the ground of sedition or
being anti- government. This legacy of banning the books was also inherited by the
independent India. After independence, book banning has been utilised as a tool to serve the
political ends of the parties. It has been used to arouse the religious sentiments of the people
and placate them so as to gain votes from different religious groups. It can be inferred from
the fact that most of the books, which are banned after independence, are concerned to any
religion or any historical hero (for example-Rama Untold, The Satanic Verses, Dwikhndito,
Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India). Book banning has been used in the recent past as a
political tool, for example, Rohinton Mistry’s novel Such a Long Journey was scrapped from
the syllabus of the University of Mumbai, at the protest led by Udhav Thackeray’s son, who
was also the student of the university. Journalists and think tanks perceived this act as a
publicity stunt for the heir of the Thackeray regime. There is always a political lineage behind
banning of books.
The trend of banning of book in India is decreasing with the passage of time. This welcoming
decrease in the trend shall be attributed to the active role of Judiciary in India, which has
presented a liberal outlook towards book banning and limited the scope of grounds of book
banning. Although the lower judiciary is not yet participating in this trend but the trend is
being perpetuated by the higher judiciary.
METHODOLOGY
The researcher has employed the method of doctrinal research which implies the collection
and analysis of data from secondary research materials such as books, articles, etc. The
research is not based on empirical method of research which includes surveying, collection of
primary data through questionnaires, etc.
The project has been prepared with the dual approach of analyzing the legality of book
banning. The dual approach of the project includes a study and analysis of articles on book
banning and the study of specific instances of book banning and its political, social and legal
implications followed by application of general findings of the observation table on those
instances of book banning.
In the observation table, the researcher has mentioned, observed and analyzed all those
articles, which have been studied for the purpose of this study. The observation table includes
five columns viz. Serial number, source, observation, Comments of the researcher and the
key words. Under the column of observation, some excerpts of the mentioned article in the
respective source column have been taken. Having taken the observations from an article, the
researcher has given his comments on that excerpt or on the article. The column of key words
is significant in giving a direction to the observation table. In the column of key words, the
observation of an article has been characterized as political, social, religious, historical or
judicial issue. The broad five categories of classification need to be explained, so that the
reader can conveniently identify the nature of observation and the reason of it being classified
under a specific category. The explanation is as follows:
1. Political Issues – Under this category, those observations have been classified, which
hints at book banning being used as a political tool by the politicians to serve their
political interests or where the observation has identified a political understanding to
the issue of book banning.
2. Social Issues – It is the broadest category, which includes issues related to public
morality, public sentiments, intellectual heritage, obscenity, level of tolerance,
apartheid sentiments, deteriorating literary ambition due to book banning, etc.
3. Religious Issues – This category includes those observation in which the religious
sentiments or the allegiance of people towards a specific historical hero is taken into
consideration while reflecting upon the issue of book banning.
4. Historical Issues – This category includes those deliberations on book banning which
takes into consideration the significance of historical facts or in some way depicts the
historical aspect of book banning.
5. Judicial Issues – In the recent times, there have been a trend of judicial liberalism
towards the issue of book banning. Thus, this category has included those
observations which talks about such trend or which demonstrates the judicial or legal
point of view towards the issue of book banning. For example, the discussion on the
curtailment of freedom of speech and the justification of restrictions on freedom of
speech, if any.
The observation table has been divided into three broad categories viz. Journal Articles,
General Articles and Newspaper & Magazine Articles. The observation table contains 26
articles and 47 observations from those articles. After observation table, the researcher has
demonstrated the cumulative effect of the classified key word through a graph, which gives a
pima facie hint as to what are the main issues behind book banning.
The researcher has analyzed these articles in the chapter “Analysis and Results”. In the
chapter, “Discussion”, specific instances of books, which have been banned, are discussed
with their legal, social and political background of the ban. The concluding chapter of the
research gives a thorough review of the research project and the stand of the researcher over
the issue at hand.
OBSERVATION TABLE
S
.
N
o
.
SOURCE
Include name of
the author(s),
year, title,
publisher and
page number.
OBSERVATIO
N
Include the excerpt that
the researcher finds
interesting for his study
COMMENTS
OF
RESEARCHER
KEY
WORD
S
JOURNAL ARTICLES1. Banerjee,
Sumanta,
‘Fahrenheit 451’:
Empty
Bookshelves and
Closed Minds,
Economic and
Political Weekly,
January 24, 2004,
pp. 318-319.
The two events – and the
reactions from the political
bigwigs – not only indicate
the pathetic level of
enlightenment and
intellectual understanding
among our public and
politicians, but also raise
important questions about
the wisdom of arbitrary
official ban on dissenting
literature in general, and the
validity of manipulated
popular campaigns against
such literature that often
prompt the banning, in
particular
In this extract, the author
refers to the instances of
banning of
Dwikhandit
o( autobiographical work of
Tasleema Nasrin, which was
banned in West Bengal )
and Shivaji: Hindu King in
Islamic India(book by
James Laine). The author
argues that these bans were
preceded by a series of
agitations by the interested
pressure groups and the
government conceded to
such demands just because
of its political interests.. The
author calls it stupidity on
the part of the governments
to concede to such demands
and unfortunately
governments do concede to
such demands.
Political
Issues
2. Same as above But, if it is a demonstration
by religious bigots –
whether Hindus or
The political parties always
concede to the demands of
every religion irrespective
Religious
and Political
Issues
Muslims, however violent
they might be, and however
monstrous their demands
could be – these same state
governments (irrespective
of their political hues) are
all too eager to placate them
of its rationale and
intellectual understanding.
In simple words, the author
tries to say that the banning
of books by the
governments is an effort to
placate the religious and
regional demands of various
pressure groups, who even
lack intellectual
understanding of their
demands of banning the
dissenting literature and are
ignorant about the content
and implications of the
literature
3. Same as above The Left Front
government’s acquiescence
in the politics of the Islamic
clergy in West Bengal, only
goes to show that stupidity
does not belong to a single
party or regime.
The use of book banning as
a tool to serve the political
interests of a party is not
confined to one parties but
as it is said all the dogs in
the street are dirty, all the
politicians have the same
tendency to serve their self
interests.
Political
Issues
4. Same as above Vandalism and violence are
being endowed with a self
righteous religious value by
politicians of all hues
Violence is being justified
by all the political parties by
overshadowing it with a
religious canvas.
Religious
Issues
5. Vjpeyi, Ananya,
“Rejecting
Politics of
Injury”,
Economic and
Political Weekly,
January 31, 2004,
p. 412
The work on Shivaji by the
American professor James
Laine must be judged on
the cogency of its
arguments and the propriety
of its methodology. Instead
we are asked to judge it on
the basis of the nationality
The author through this
article asks the common
people of a democracy to
judge an issue from
empirical and logical point
of view rather than from a
point of view which is full
of prejudice. For the
Social Issues
of its author. development of the society,
it should be liberal enough
to accommodate the
justified dissenting changes.
6. Same as above A claim about Shivaji’s
parentage, made by anyone
and put into the public
domain, should be judged
for the degree to which it is
or isn’t grounded in
empirically verifiable
historical sources, not for
its emotional effect on those
who might cling to baseless
myths about the great
king’s antecedents.
In the book on Shivaji, if
there is any new fact about
the life of Shivaji, it shall be
judged from a broader
perspective excluding the
inherent emotional
attachment to the character.
The violent agitation by the
Sambhaji brigade is a
symbol of the undeveloped
and un mature society.
Historical
issues
7. Same as above must be judged for the
quality of the book it has
put out, not for the feelings
its publication may arouse
in some individuals or
communities
The central idea is that the
society should not judge the
book based on the
prejudices but it should also
take into consideration the
new facts and see if the facts
are justifiable
Social Issues
8. Chandran, Mini,
“The
Democratization
of Censorship:
Books and the
Indian Public”,
Economic and
Political Weekly,
October 2, 2010,
pp. 27-31
One of the first books to be
banned by the Supreme
Court of India was D H
Lawrence’s Lady
Chatterley’s Lover in 1964.
This puritanical judgment
came after the novel had
won major censorship court
battles in the United States
and the UK. Chief Justice
Hidayatullah, who
pronounced the verdict, was
confronted with the vexing
issue of the legal definition
In this article, the author has
presented an unbiased
account of the two novels
Rama Untold and The
Satanic Verses. The author
has also presented the views
and opinions behind the
banning of these novels. In
the later part, the author has
discussed the trend of
judiciary in banning the
books. It shows the growing
liberal outlook of judiciary
in India with time. The
Social Issues
of obscenity. author has given examples
of cases and tried to analyse
the judiciary as a tool of
book banning in the past and
the present. The author has
also discussed the case of
James Laine’s book Shivaji:
Hindu King in Islamic India.
9. Same as above The judge’s observation
was that…“obscenity
without a preponderating
social purpose or profit
cannot have the
constitutional protection of
free speech”
The court gave a landmark
definition to define the term
obscenity. The significant
part is that the court has
very successfully related the
term obscenity with society,
though it becomes
subjective.
Judicial and
social issues
10. Same as above The courts, however, did
not maintain this rigidity of
stance vis-a-vis literature in
the years to come. Very
often, they have become the
protectors of free speech in
cases where charges were
levelled against writers
The subjectivity in the
definition was moulded in
the favour of the liberalistic
approach towards book
banning.
Judicial
Issues
11. Same as above The liberal outlook of
courts was underscored
again with regard to
freedom of the press when
an obscenity suit filed
against the leading English
newspaper The Times of
India was struck down by
the apex court.
This shows that the outlook
of judiciary towards book
banning is not completely
liberal and thus it can be
concluded that book
banning has been justified in
some places.
Judicial
Issues
12. Noorani, A.G.,
“Book Banning”,
Economic and
Political Weekly,
Books are banned by
recourse to two statutes.
One method is to prevent
their import from outside;
In this article, the author has
explained the due legal
process of banning a book.
He has also identified the
Judicial
Issues
December 1,
2007, pp. 10-11.
another is to confiscate
books published or sold
here….. The other method
is to use Section 95 of the
Criminal Procedure Code,
1973……. It empowers the
state government to declare
“forefeited to the
government” any
newspaper, document or
book which, in its opinion,
offends against the follow-
ing provisions of the penal
code; namely, S 124-A
(“sedition”), S 153-A
(promoting ill will
“between different…
groups” based on religion,
language, caste, etc), S 153-
B (imputing disloyalty to
the country to any such
group); S 292 (obscene
literature); S 293 (sale of
obscene literature to the
young); or S 295-A (insult
to religious feelings of any
group of citizens with
“deliberate and malicious
intention of outraging the
religious feelings” of that
class
loopholes through which
book banning can be
enforced by the government
for its selfish motives. The
author has discussed the
validity of law through a
series of cases, in which the
provisions regarding the
book banning have been
interpreted.
13. Rossuck, Jennifer,
“Banned Books:
A Study Of
Censorship”, The
English Journal,
Vol. 86, No. 2,
Many censors do not read
most or all of the texts they
challenge. Students learn to
never isolate one word,
sentence, scene, or passage
but to consider the whole in
This article has been written
by an American author,
criticizing the
argumentation of the
censors while banning the
books. It is evident that
Judicial
Issues
Censorship (Feb.,
1997), pp. 67-70.
order to properly analyze
each part.
books at the school level are
very frequently and in
condemning that the author
has criticized the process of
censoring in which the
censors themselves
sometimes have not read the
books to be censored.
14. Sanders, Mark,
“J.M. Coetzee on
Censorship and
Apartheid”, Law
and Literature,
Vol. 18, No. 1
(Spring 2006), pp.
101-114.
The real quarry of the
censor is thus not the
desired object but the
desiring subject, and, in the
end, the very desire that
attaches to that subject. To
the extent that it is, as
Coetzee formulates it, also
a counterattack on desire,
censorship shares a basic
impulse with apartheid
thinking.
The author has shown a
study on the articles of
Coetzee and how he relates
the apartheid and
censorship. Coetzee defines
apartheid as the way by
which desires of blacks are
attacked by the whites.
Censorship is thus
analogical to apartheid since
censorship is also a means
to suppress the desires of
those who want to express
and those who wants to read
some new literature.
Social Issues
15. Blume, Judy,
“Places I Never
Meant to Be:
Original Stories
by Censored
Writers.”, in
Winkler, Lisa K.,
“ Celebrate
Democracy!
Teach about
Censorship”,
The English
Journal, Vol. 94,
No. 5 (May,
What I worry about most is
the loss to young people. If
no one speaks out for them,
if they don't speak out for
themselves, all they'll get
for required reading will be
the most bland books
available. And instead of
finding the information they
need at the library, instead
of finding the novels that
illuminate life, they will
find only those materials to
which nobody could
The author in this article
quotes Judy Blume, who
considers that by censoring
the publication of the so
called dissenting literature,
we are depriving the young
people from attaining a
comprehensive
understanding of the real
world and its working.
Social Issues
2005), pp. 48-51. possibly object.
16. Jenkins, Iredell, “
The Legal Basis
of Literary
Censorship”,
Virginia Law
Review, Vol. 31,
No. 1 (Dec.,
1944), pp. 83-
118.
should the citizen be
protected in his individual
freedom of choice and
action, or should society be
protected against the
possibly vicious influences
resulting from the exercise
of this freedom?
This question was raised in
a court of law in a case of
censorship of a book on
grounds of obscenity. The
court answered it in favour
of the greater interest of the
society and held that the
public moral should be
upheld.
Social Issues
17. Same as above The attitudes of men can
move backward as well as
forward; the attainment of a
high level in some phase of
social conduct does not
guarantee that it will be
maintained. A social
advance, to be made
permanent, must be
embodied in some in-
stitution. And we should
take advantage of our
present temper of artistic
tolerance to objectify it in
sound laws that will assure
its preservation
The author talks about the
need of the codification of
laws in this regard so that
the law may provide a
standard of judgment. This
is the appropriate time to
codify considering the more
significant level of tolerance
than that of past.
Judicial
issues
GENERAL ARTICLES
18. Banning Books,
http://www.indiac
urrents.com/articl
es/2011/06/02/ban
ning-books,
accessed on
August 31, 2011.
Indeed, a large portion of
our intellectual heritage
comes from books, art,
movies, artifacts, and word-
of-mouth stories and
anecdotes. They provide
shades to our concepts,
outlines to our ideas, and
color to our thoughts. Yet,
This article is a precise
study on the history of
censorship but do give a
historical background of
censorship of books. This
article is helpful in
analyzing the justifications
been given for banning the
books as it gives various
Social Issues
countries, states and
governments exercise
censorship, some more
violently than others.
instances of book banning
and so on.
19. Same as above In the United States, Sept
24 to Oct 1, 2011, has been
designated the Banned
Books Week. This yearly
event celebrates the
freedom to read and, during
this commemorative period,
libraries and book stores put
together a display of books
that have been
“challenged,”
The celebration of Banned
book week is an important
symbol of the increasing
tolerance of the modern
world towards dissenting
literature.
Social Issues
20. Same as above Her novel Lajja, revolving
around the revenge rape of
a young Hindu girl in the
backlash against the Babri
Masjid demolition in India,
created such an uproar in
Bangladesh that she was
forced to flee to India.
Eventually, growing
opposition to her anti-
religious views forced her
into exile from India.
As far as the content is
verifiable or justifiable, the
author has right to present
her views. In the book Lajja,
if the author has given an
account, which arouses
feeling of hatred or ill-will
between two communities
but the account is true and
empirically verifiable, then
also if the book is banned, it
is unreasonable.
Religious
Issues
21. Same as above Since the British era,
several Indian writers have
faced the wrath of
authority. The great Hindi
writer and social thinker,
Premchand, came under
literary scrutiny in 1910,
when the British
government banned his
collection of short stories,
During the British rule,
Sedition was the most
dominantly used
justification for banning the
books or works of literature,
which aroused nationalistic
feelings among the people
of India. Again, the
justification itself is not
justifiable but only serves
Political
issues
Soz-e-Watan, claiming it
was seditious in content.
The book consisted of five
stories that sought to inspire
patriotism and political
freedom.
political interests.
22. Censorship in
India: The Right
To Read,
http://indiafirstha
nd.com/2010/07/1
0/2535/, accessed
on August 31,
2011.
Indian constitution
guarantees freedom of
speech just like the
American constitution yet
places some significant
restrictions on it.
According to the
constitution these
restrictions are in place “in
the interests of the
sovereignty and integrity of
India or public order or
morality”. The Indian
government has used this
loophole on numerous
occasions to impose
censorship.
The author of the article
questions the acts of the
state to ban the books. The
author asserts that Indians
have a culture of debating
and arguing about the issues
then what the government is
trying to protect the society
from. The article welcomes
the role of judiciary in
lifting the irrational bans on
literary works.
Judicial
Issues
23. The Banning Of
"e For Ecstasy"
By Nicholas
Saunders,
http://www.123H
elpMe.com/view.
asp?id=88703,
accessed on
August 30, 2011.
As I read this book, at first I
felt a temptation to try
ecstasy due to the positive
way in which the drug was
described. After reading
further into
the text, however, much
more detailed information
about the drug is brought
fourth. For example, the
book associates use of
ecstasy with the cultures of
all kinds of illegal drugs. In
my opinion, the ban should
E for Ecstasy is a book
depicting the information
about drugs. The Australian
government banned this
book as it found that the
book promotes drug ecstasy.
The banning in this case is
susceptible to interpretation
by different persons. As this
article argues that if a
person doesn’t know about
the ill-effects of drugs then
it is more probable that he
Social Issues
be lifted because the
book does not just give the
positive information about
this drug. While the
book does side towards the
use of the drug, it does
provide all kinds of
interesting information and
education including
negative data about the
drug.
If information about drugs
is kept in the dark, people
will be tempted to seek
information in potentially
harmful ways.
would try the drugs.
24. http://
www.newadvent.
org/cathen/
03519d.htm,
accessed on
August 31, 2011.
When the Church, after the
era of persecution, was
given greater liberty, a
censorship of books appears
more plainly. The First
Ecumenical Council of
Nicæa (325) condemned
not only Arius personally,
but also his book entitled
"Thalia"; Constantine
commanded that the
writings of Arius and his
friends should everywhere
be delivered up to be
burned; concealment of
them was forbidden under
pain of death.
In these lines, the author has
presented some historical
facts and tried to show that
how much heinous the ban
of books was in the way the
ban was implemented.
Historical
Facts
25. http://
www.complete-
review.com/
quarterly/vol5/
Different sub-groups,
representing a range of
religious persuasions, found
it in their advantage to
This excerpt is from the
description of the book on
Shivaji by Oxford
University Press. These
Religious
Issue
issue1/laine0.htm,
accessed on
August 31, 2011.
accentuate or diminish the
importance of Hindu and
Muslim identity and the
ideologies that supported
the construction of such
identities. By studying the
evolution of the Shivaji
legend, Laine demonstrates,
we can trace the
development of such
constructions in both pre-
British and post-colonial
periods.
lines suggest that in some
way the book also instigated
religious sentiments of
different groups and thus,
gives a religious canvas
over the ban.
26. http://
www.npr.org/
blogs/
monkeysee/
2011/04/01/13504
3658/a-book-s-
banning-sparks-a-
struggle-over-
gandhi-s-legacy,
accessed on
November 6,
2011.
Is the only way available to
us to respect Gandhi and
other national icons is to
protect them by law and
governmentality? If they
were tolerant of criticism,
invited discussion of their
most intimate impulses,
engaged in philosophical
and cultural debates about
the validity of their thought
and conduct, our
promptness to muzzle such
debate about them is a sign
of the lack of our cultural
confidence in our icons that
they would remain relevant
and available despite being
subjected to salacious
gossip.
in this excerpt, the author
has emphasized that the
legacy of Gandhi is not
protected in the real sense
by mere protection from law
and the government but the
legacy will be preserved and
protected only when the
people follow the same
ideals as that of Gandhi.
With regard to book
banning, the issue shall be
thrown open for public
debate showing faith in our
icons.
Social Issues
27. Elst, koenraad,
“Ayodhya and
After”,
It is perhaps the first
endeavor on the part of
scholars to dig from the
This article is a review of
the book Hindu Temples:
What Happened to Them.
Historical
and political
issues
http://koenraadels
t.voiceofdharma.c
om/books/ayodhy
a/ch12.htm,access
ed on August 31,
2011.
graveyard of history the
identity of some 2000
temples destroyed by the
Muslim invaders and rulers.
The book is not an exercise
in rewriting history, but is
an effort to present the facts
and give a bird's eye view
of the truth hitherto
unknown. The book has as
its subject matter not only
the Ram temple at Ayodhya
but nearly 2000 temples
throughout the length and
breadth of the country
which met the same fate as
that of Ayodhya, Mathura
and Varanasi.
This book is a collection of
various articles written by
Run Shourie and others in
the aftermath of the Babri
Masjid Demolition. This
article shows how the book
judicially presented the
historical facts and was still
banned following the
politics at that time.
28. http://
dannyreviews.co
m/h/Shivaji.html,
accessed on
August 31, 2011.
Laine's openness may
explain some of the
animosity: his introduction,
for example, explicitly
states his hope to "rescue
[Shivaji's] biography from
the grasp of those who see
India as a Hindu nation at
war with its Muslim
neighbors". Shivaji is
undeniably a scholarly
work, however, and few of
Laine's critics have engaged
with its actual content.
Though too slender to be
entirely self-contained, it
includes enough
background to be accessible
to anyone with a basic
Laine’s book might have
presented some explicit
material. But if these
material are studied in light
of the whole book taken
together, these explicit
materials seem to be
justified. The presented
material could be new
historical facts arising out of
the story of the scholar’s
work.
Historical
Issues
knowledge of modern
Indian history.
29.Dalrymple,
William,
www.columbia.e
du/itc/mealac/pri
tchett/.../txt_ dalr
ymple _review.d
oc, accessed on
August 31, 2011
The historian D.N Jha who
wrote The Myth of the Holy
Cow, pointing out the
considerable historical and
archaeological evidence
that beef was routinely
eaten in Vedic period (1st
millennium BC), received
many death threats and had
his book withdrawn in
India.
The excerpt depicts the
intolerance of the people to
readily accept any justifiable
historical fact. The threats
on the ban were instigated
by historical issues.
Historical
Issues
NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES
30. Guha,
Ramchandra,
“Ban The Ban-
The republic of
India bans books
with the
depressing
frequency”, in
POLITICS AND
PLAY.
The third and most
significant reason for the
proliferation of bans is the
pusillanimity of our
political class. An early
example was the ban on
Salman Rushdie’s The
Satanic Verses by Rajiv
Gandhi’s government in
1989
The author has characterized
the political interests as the
most significant reason
behind book banning. He
asserts so by citing many
examples.
Political
Issues
31. Same as above Lower courts and even
some high courts have been
accomplices in this process
of the stifling of free
speech. So too have been
politicians of all parties and
governments. Indian
democrats may take solace
in the few exceptions: these
being the institution of the
Supreme Court, and those
public-spirited public
The author is of the view
that besides the political
reasons of book banning,
lower judiciary is also
following the same trend by
not being liberal in its
outlook. Though the higher
judiciary is liberal while
considering the issue of
book banning
Judicial and
political
Issues
figures, Rajmohan and
Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
32. Censor’s
Sensibilities,
http://www.econo
mist.com/blogs/ba
nyan/2010/12/cen
sorship_india,
accessed on
August 31, 2011.
At least outsiders have been
free to say and write what
they like in India. Yet
censors are getting
increasingly grumpy about
what they draw. When
foreign publications print
maps of India that show the
reality in Kashmir—
territory divided between
areas controlled by Pakistan
and by India—censors at
customs houses, citing a
law from 1961, stamp them
as "not recognised" by
India. For The Economist,
for example, that delays
delivery of the magazine by
a few days, affecting some
tens of thousands of Indian
readers.
This newspaper article is a
critique to the recent
banning of a map by Indian
government. This map
showed the actual
demarcation of Kashmir on
the basis of the part of
Kashmir which is occupied
by Pakistan and India.
Political
Issues
33. Oh for a Book to
be Banned,
http://www.opent
hemagazine.com/
article/voices/oh-
for-a-book-to-
ban, accessed on
August 31, 2011.
Twenty years ago, give or
take a month, The Satanic
Verses was banned in India.
Over the course of this
month, there will be no
dearth of writing on the ban
of books, but on this
anniversary, the real
tragedy is not that book
bans are still alive in the
country but that there is a
diminishment of the kind of
literary ambition the book
This article comments on
the state of Indian English
writers that the quality of
writing has diminished. The
over cautiousness of the
publishers while publishing
books on controversial
topics has also discouraged
the writers to write
ambitiously. Thus, it can be
inferred that nowadays,
writers are cautious rather
hesitant in writing on
Social issues
represents. Today you
would be hard put to find
Indian fiction in English
that anybody would want
banned.
controversial issues in India.
34. Sethi, Harsh,
http://www.india-
seminar.com/200
4/534/534%20bac
kpage.htm, ,
accessed on
August 31, 2011.
It is worth remembering
that this is the first time that
a centre for learning widely
regarded for its classical
scholarship and valuable
archives has been so
targeted. It is ironic that
‘followers’ of Sambhaji, a
great Sanskrit scholar,
should in the process of
‘upholding’ the dignity of
their icon, desecrate a
painting of Saraswati, loot
and destroy rare
manuscripts and even
deface texts on Shivaji.
In this article, the author has
raised a question on the dual
face of the then government
and criticized the violent
acts of the Sambhaji brigade
and the subsequent banning
of the book. The book on
Shivaji by James Laine has
been discussed in the later
chapters.
Religious
Issues
35. The Ban on
Books,
http://www.dawn.
com/2011/04/16/t
he-ban-on-
books.html,
accessed on
August 31, 2011.
AMONG the bad habits
which are inherited from
the British Raj, is a marked
propensity to ban books…..
This article explains legality
of book-banning by
explaining the mechanism
of law through which books
are banned and gives a
thorough review of the topic
with certain instances of
book banning. The author is
non-believer in irrational
book banning or book-
banning.
Historical
issues
36. Same as above A marked feature of
advocates of book-banning
is a reluctance to join in
reasoned refutation.
Until and unless the
individuals of the society
are not ready to do a
reasoned debate on the issue
Judicial
Issues
of book banning, the
judiciary would be
incapable of clearly
outlining its stand in the
society.
37. Same as above Advocates of book-banning
have no patience with the
legal route. They prefer,
instead, to whip up mass
frenzy and take the law into
their own hands.
Having studied the cases
like Laine’s book being
banned after series of
protests, it is evident that
supporters of book banning
do not want to follow the
established process of law.
Judicial
Issues
38. http://
indiatoday.intoda
y.in/story/book-
on-mahatma-
gandhi-gandhi-
gay-slur-unites-
cong-bjp/
1/133886.html?
cp, accessed on
August 30, 2011.
"It is the most un-Gandhian
thing to do!" Tushar Gandhi
said of the ban. "If you have
a problem with the claims
made in the book, then you
have to counter them
intellectually. Banning the
book, in fact, will give it a
halo, the status of a martyr.
Banning anything is simply
an easy way out for the
government."
This article puts forth the
views of the citizens of a
mature and developed
society and the tolerance of
those who are part of a
democratic civilization. This
article is tacitly a question
on the validity of the ban on
Joseph Lelyveld’s book on
Gandhi (Great Soul:
Mahatma Gandhi and His
Struggle).
Political
issues
39. Same as above Apart from the Mahatma's
family, prominent historian
Romila Thapar, who has
had to face the charge of
being a "deeply mendacious
enemy of the Hindus", has
spoken out against the
Gujarat ban. "Banning of
books is not associated with
a free country," Thapar
says.
The historian has rightly
characterized or hinted
towards the fact that book
banning is like an evil in the
free society.
Social Issues
40. Politics of a Ban,
http://www.hindu.
com/fline/fl2303/s
tories/200602240
02609300.htm, ,
accessed on
August 30, 2011.
The ban was enforced after
Udhayanraje Bhonsle, the
13th descendent of Shivaji
and a former Bharatiya
Janata Party legislator, filed
a case in the Satara court
against Laine for an
allegedly offensive remark.
This article in an explicit
manner explains the
political game behind the
violent agitations against
James Laines’s book on
Shivaji and the political
agenda behind banning this
book. This article also
confronts a question “Is
book banning a political tool
to garner advantage by
arousing religious
sentiments among the
people?
Political
Issues
41. Same as above It is believed that Bhonsle,
who considers himself to be
the original protector of
Shivaji's legend by virtue of
his lineage, is going
through a political slump.
He lost the last Assembly
elections to a cousin and
got a bad image after he
was arrested in connection
with the murder of an NCP
activist in 1999.
The instance of banning the
book of Laine was a pure
political drama in order to
uplift the image of a
politically defeated person.
Political
Issues
42. Same as above At least the previous time
elections were around the
corner and in an issueless
election this controversy
was useful. Of course, the
government has a
responsibility to ensure
peace and prevent a law and
order situation, he says. But
to ban a book is an extreme
The coincidence of mass
mobilization against Laine’s
book and the election in the
near future was a situation
of utter benefit for the
politicians. In that state the
government had a duty to
maintain peace and order
but it failed to do so.
Political
Issues
step and they have to use
this authority carefully. In
this case they have not used
their discretion well,
Palshikar adds.
43. India must move
beyond Book-
Burning,
http://www.guardi
an.co.uk/comment
isfree/libertycentr
al/2010/oct/21/
india-rohinton-
mistry-book,
accessed on
August 30, 2011.
But what has rattled civil
society this time is the
manner in which the vice-
chancellor, who is expected
to be the guardian of
intellectual freedom,
buckled so swiftly,
dropping the text without
even the fig leaf of "due
process". The issue has
focused attention on how
political appointees are
being elevated to positions
of academic authority,
thereby putting in peril the
very future of education.
Few will contest that the
University of Mumbai is on
such a wrong journey.
This article has been written
in context of ban of
Rohinton Mistry’s novel
Such a Long Journey in the
University of Mumbai after
the protests by Shiv Sena.
This article unravels the
pathetic condition of
freedom of speech in India.
In this article, the author has
depicted how ignorantly and
politically the book was
struck down from the course
of the university.
Political
issues
44. Same as above The 1971 canvas of Such a
Long Journey evokes a
Bombay of mutton
samosas, prostitutes and
convent schools, spies who
use lines from Othello to
pass on messages and
public walls which need
god-photos to keep them
clean. Mistry bends his ear
to the city's slang and salty
The excerpt show the social
aspect of Bombay, which
has been depicted in the
book in a way that it
outrages the ill-image of the
city in the minds of the
readers and thus the book
has been condemned.
Social Issues
Parsi humour to capture the
lives of people encircled by
a corrupting political
darkness.
45. Same as above Liberal groups campaigning
for the text to be restored
were further disheartened
when the state's Congress
chief minister announced
that he too had found some
paragraphs to be "highly
objectionable".
Disheartened perhaps, but
scarcely surprised. The
politics of competitive
parochialism has always
been far more lucrative to
politicians than what they
dismiss as a salon
conversational subject:
freedom of speech.
The reaction of the chief
minister is purely a
politically motivated
reaction. Had the chief
minister adopted a liberal
outlook, he would have to
face the loss of a massive
vote bank, that’s why the
chief minister refrained
from a liberal outlook.
Political
Issues
46. http://
www.telegraph.co
.uk/news/
worldnews/asia/
india/8073240/
Author-Rohinton-
Mistry-slams-
Mumbai-
University-after-
book-ban.html,
accessed on
August 30, 2011
Samar Halarnkar, a leading
Indian commentator, said
he believed the protests
were a cynical ploy to raise
the profile of the youngest
member of the Shiv Sena's
ruling Thackeray family,
Aditya, who is currently a
student at Mumbai
University.
This article also depicts the
irrationality behind the ban
on Rohinton Mistry’s novel
and the political play
associated with the ban
which is to garner public
attention for the heir of
Thackeray family.
Political
Issues
47. Same as above According to the Sena
group, Such a Long Journey
makes disparaging
comments about Shiv Sena
This excerpt briefly points
out the political as well as
the social reasons behind the
university ban on Mistry’s
Political and
Social
Issues.
and the Marathis, Mumbai's
famous "Dabbawalahs",
who deliver millions of
"tiffin" lunch tins to office
workers.
novel.
ANALYSIS & RESULTS
Political Issues
Social Issues
Judicial Issues
Historical Issues
Religious Issues
02468
1012141618
Precedence of Issues on the Basis of Keyword Classification
Precedence of Issues on the Basis of Keyword Classification
Objective Analysis
The research is not completely objective as it includes the element of bias on the part of
researcher whilst selecting the articles and finding their observation. The objectivity of the
analysis lies in the fact that the process of classification of the sample observation is
completely objective as it is predefined and alien to prejudices.
The bar graph shows that political and social issues are the most observed reasons for book
banning. The rationality of political issues being the dominant reason for book banning is
justified by the fact that in most of the cases, being discussed in the observation table and in
the discussion section, there is some sort of political lineage to every instance of book
banning. The social issues are also dominant reasons attributable to book banning considering
the fact that the society (specifically Indian) is less tolerant to the dissenting literatures, which
questions the existing norms, system or notions. Judicial issues are not reasons for book
banning, as it is clear by the explanation of judicial issues in methodology. The frequency of
the judicial issues in the graph depicts the judicial activism with regards to the issue of book
banning. The less frequency of religious issue is attributable to the fact that mostly the
religious issues are canvassed by the political issues. The historical issues are very less as the
evolution of the historical facts has somewhat reached to its zenith and thus there are little
chances that anyone will dissent from the existing facts.
The researcher, in his concluding remark, attributes political and social issues as pre-
dominant reasons for banning books.
Subjective Analysis
From the different articles mentioned in the observation table, the researcher came across
different aspects of the book banning and the legality of book banning. These different
aspects have been analyzed and presented in the later paragraphs.
Indeed, a large portion of our intellectual heritage comes from books, art, movies, artifacts,
and word-of-mouth stories and anecdotes. They provide shades to our concepts, outlines to
our ideas, and color to our thoughts. Yet, countries, states and governments exercise
censorship, some more violently than others.
In most of the cases of book banning, the groups, who demand such bans, themselves had not
even read the book and they protest against that book solely on the basis of hearsay
evidences, like- reviews, opinions etc. In case of the ban on The Satanic Verses, the
parliament had a debate over the content of the book and unfortunately no member of the
parliament had read the book being debated. All the supporters of the ban were arguing only
on the basis of their limited knowledge about the book, however, they may be right but still it
shows the pathetic level of the intellectual understanding of the public and the politicians.
Before banning a book, the government and the people should judge the books or the
dissenting literature from an empirical and logical view and then frame an opinion about the
book. For the development of literature, the outlook of the society has to be liberal and
rational. It should not be like if any fact, however, based on logical evidences, is inconsistent
to the emotions and sentiments of a group shall be protested. It hampers the intellectual
growth of the society. Thus, before banning any dissenting literature, a due course of logical
understanding shall be applied in those instances.
The governments have been using the law arbitrarily to ban books, which are rational and
logical in its content (like- Shivaji: Hindu king in Islamic India). The governments ban such
books to serve its political ends, like gaining support of a particular concerned group. On the
other hand the higher Judiciary has played a pro-active role in rationalizing the process and
provisions of law of banning a book. The judiciary has quashed many such bans, which were
instigated out of political and irrational motives of certain political powers and which were
inconsistent with the interpretation of law. The judiciary has carried out a significant role in
determining the legality of book banning.
In case of Joseph Levyveld’s book, Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle, the ban
poses a serious question on the state of freedom of expression in India. The book seemed to
be derogatory to the character of Mahatma Gandhi to the Gujarat government on the basis of
its review and was thus banned. The government had not even gone through the copy of book
and it framed a baseless opinion of the book in advance. This ban was enforced under section
295-A of the Indian Penal Code, which is applicable only if a book insults the religious
feelings and the criticism of historical figures do not come in the purview of this section.
Book banning has been practiced since the inception of book. From that time, book banning
has had some political lineage besides the much important moral and social grounds. In
recent past, the book banning has been politicized and on the other hand with the intellectual
development of the societies, it seems to be losing its significance. However, in India, taking
into the consideration the violent agitations against the books like- Shivaji: Hindu King in
Islamic India, The Satanic Verses, etc., the society doesn’t seem to be intellectually
developing and the level of tolerance is not considerate.
Book-banning is inspired by the same mentality which promotes book-burning. It is no
function of the state to prescribe a select bibliography to its citizens and undermine the
fundamentals of democracy. Before pursuing this theme, however, one must reckon with a
certain trend in the West which justifies wilful intentional insult as an exercise of free speech;
specifically insult to the faith of Islam and to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In truth, the trend
has only accentuated in recent months; for, as James Carrol recalled, in an article in The New
York Times earlier this month, “Contempt towards the religion of Muhammad is a
foundational pillar of western civilisation. That it is unacknowledged only makes it more
pernicious.” Thus, if this form of exercise of free speech is recognized which is straight away
derogatory to a certain religion then it demands a review of whole of the banned literature,
which is not intentional hatred towards any specific community.
The legality of book banning can be determined, only if one is free from any prejudice or
attachments towards the debated book. The law governing the bans has been widely
interpreted and applied by the judiciary. The issue of banning a book has to be decided on the
basis of rational, liberal, logical and empirical analysis.
DISCUSSION
In this chapter, specific instances of book banning have been discussed with their social, legal
and political analysis.
1. SHIVAJI: HINDU KING IN ISLAMIC INDIA
This book has been written by James W. Laine and published in India in 2004. This book is
an an historical analysis of the various narratives – folklore and official – surrounding the
Maharashtrian hero, Shivaji.
In the course of his book, Laine had noted that Shivaji’s parents “lived apart for most if not
all of Shivaji’s life”[p91], adding that “Maharashtrians tell jokes naughtily suggesting that his
guardian Dadaji Konddev was his biological father” [p93]. This was interpreted as Laine
suggesting that Shivaji was illegitimate, and after a horrified review was published in a
Marathi weekly magazine, a succession of protests began. In October an elderly Sanskrit
scholar whom Laine had thanked in his acknowledgements, was roughed up and had his face
smeared with tar. To forestall further violence, in November the book was withdrawn from
the Indian market by the Oxford University Press, and an apology for causing offence was
issued by the author.(Guha, 2011)
Legal Background
Subsequently, the Gujarat government had to ban the book, considering the wide spread
agitation and it issued an official notification banning the book. The notification was issued
by the government under section 95 of Cr.P.C., which declared forfeiture of every copy of the
book and publication of the book is punishable under section 153A of Indian Penal Code.
Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, requires that the words must promote or attempt to
promote on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community
or any other ground whatsoever, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between
different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities. The book,
however arouse feeling of insult among one group but it doesn’t promote or attempt to
promote ill-will, enmity or hatred between different groups. Thus, the honourable High Court
of Bombay, in its judgment on April 26 2007, quashed the notification banning the book and
ordered to release all the forfeited copies of the book. Subsequently, the Gujarat government
filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of India against the judgment of Bombay High Court.
The Supreme Court in its judgment on July 9 2010 upheld the decision of Bombay high
court. Thus, the ban on the book exists quashed. By this ruling, the judiciary has proved itself
as the champion of free expression in an intolerant system.
Social Background
The controversial paragraph in the book outraged the feeling of insult for their hero in the
followers the Shivaji. Mob (the Sambhaji Brigade) outrage was not confined to demands for
suppression of Laine’s book; it extended to scholars who had extended help with his research
work, and the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and Library at Pune from where he got
a major part of his material. The library was vandalised and precious manuscripts destroyed.
As mentioned, Shivaji is considered a hero among the Marathis and in other parts of India,
thus, it followed an outrageous agitation spread throughout the Maharastra. However, Laine
just quoted the folklore prevalent in the Maharastrian society without any intention to hurt the
feelings of anybody and later he apologised for the same but the followers considered it as
derogatory to the life of their hero. The protest against the book aroused out of the emotional
attachment to the content of the book. It aroused a feeling of insult in one group but didn’t
promote feeling of hatred between different groups.
Political Background
The ban was enforced after Udhayanraje Bhonsle, the 13th descendent of Shivaji and a
former Bharatiya Janata Party legislator, filed a case in the Satara court against Laine for an
allegedly offensive remark the scholar made on Shivaji's parentage. Laine uses the term
"Oedipal rebel" in the context of Shivaji's relationship with his father.
It is believed that Bhonsle, who considers himself to be the original protector of Shivaji's
legend by virtue of his lineage, was going through a political slump. He lost the then last
Assembly elections to a cousin and got a bad image after he was arrested in connection with
the murder of an NCP activist in 1999. It is believed that he used this issue to revamp his
political image. (Politics Of a Ban, The Hindu article)
The ban was supported by all the political parties so as to gain the support of the whole of the
community of followers of the Shivaji.
2. GREAT SOUL: MAHATMA GANDHI AND HIS STRUGGLE WITH INDIA
This book was written by the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Joseph Lelyveld. It was
published in United States and due to be launched in India. The book is a biography of
Mahatma Gandhi and had to face the ban imposed by Gujarat government before being
launched in India.
Objectionable Content
After early reviews were published in British and American newspapers, articles began to
circulate within India stating that Joseph Lelyveld had portrayed Gandhi as a bisexual, racist
and often ruthless politician.
The most controversial aspect of the book emerges in excerpts from previously released
letters that Gandhi wrote to a German architect named Hermann Kallenbach. The two men
became close confidants during Gandhi's early years as a lawyer in a South Africa, sharing
ideas about politics and society in a series of deeply intimate exchanges. In one of these
letters, Gandhi writes to Kallenbach, "...how completely you have taken possession of my
body. This is slavery with a vengeance." As soon as early reviews of the book featuring that
excerpt became public, critics in India lashed out, calling the inclusion vicious and insulting.
Author’s Contention
Lelyveld never uses the term "bisexual" in the book and doesn't describe the relationship
between Gandhi and Kallenbach as a romantic or sexual one. He asserted that he didn't push
it to that conclusion because who knows what had happened between two people almost a
hundred years ago?
Lelyveld says he was inspired to write the book out of admiration for a more under-
emphasized aspect of Gandhi's story: his lifelong commitment to domestic politics of equality
and justice, ideals informed by the injustice he saw as a young man in British South Africa.
His intention to write the book was never to portray such a character of Gandhiji and it is the
result of the misreading of the book, as he said in an interview to Bilal Qureshi.
(Completereview.com)
Stand of Gujarat Government: The Political Background
The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, denounced the book, stating, “The perversion
shown in the writings not only deserves to be condemned in the strongest possible terms but
cannot be tolerated. I know that the members of this august house share my feelings.” He was
referring to the Gujarat State Assembly, which summarily banned the “publication, printing
and publication” of the book in Gujarat, even though the book had not been released in India
as yet and had most likely not been read by its denouncers.
Ramchandra Guha in one of his articles has given the political reason of banning this book
before it is available. He believes that it may be an attempt of Narendra Modi to dissuade his
image of stern leaning towards a sect by asserting the idea of pluralism of Mahatma Gandhi.
He wanted to disguise his leanings by projecting himself as the follower of the ideals of
Mahatma Gandhi.
Legal Background
This book was banned by an order of the Gujarat assembly. This notification has not been
challenged yet in the court of law and it stands banned in the state of Gujarat although free to
be published in any other part of India.
Comments
This instance of book banning is in itself self-contradicting. The book which is banned is a
biography of a historical hero, who himself is an advocate of freedom of expression. Had this
book been published in the time of Gandhi, he may have criticized the content of the book but
would not have recommended banning the book, which may amount to curtailment of one’s
right to freedom of expression. His grand sons Rajmohan and Gopalkrishna shared the same
view and at their appeal only the government of India refrained from banning this book in the
whole of India.
REVIEW & CONCLUSION
The research project has discussed the legality of book banning by discussing and analysing
the articles on book banning and the researcher has also discussed the case of banning of two
books viz. Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India and Great soul: Mahatma Gandhi and his
struggle with India, in order to see the application of general findings from the analysis of
observation table. The general findings from the analysis of observation table can be
concluded as below:
1. Behind banning of every book, there exists a social cause. The social cause may be
that the book arouse religious ill-will or hatred between two religious groups and that
the writer insults the religious feelings of any group of citizens with “deliberate and
malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings” of that class. If the writer
doesn’t have any intention or the intention is not proved, the book can’t be banned.
(As section 153A of IPC interpreted in the Sangharaj Damodar Rupwate and ors. V
Nitin Gadre, Joint Secretary to the Government of Maharashtra and ors.). The social
cause may also be that the content of the book promotes the feeling of disloyalty
towards the country or the content is obscene in the societal perspective.
2. In certain cases, books have been banned by the government to serve its political
motives. As it has been discussed in the project as to how political motives were
served at the instance of banning the books like Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India.
3. The practise of book banning hampers the growth of society as it hampers the
intellectual development of the society that can only be achieved if one thinks from a
rational, logical and empirical point of view and judgment without prejudices towards
any topic or issue.
In light of these findings, the researcher has critically analysed the ban of those two above
mentioned books. The finding of that analysis has been that the mere banning of book can’t
destroy the idea enshrined in the book. If the idea or the message through that book is wrong
then it has to be justified on the basis of logic and rationality. And the legality of book
banning can be attributed to the outlook of the society, prevailing law in the society, political
maturity and the intellectual understanding of the society, towards the dissenting literatures.
If a society has liberal outlook, the law in that society is not authoritative, the political system
is mature and developed and the society is intellectually developed, that would be a Utopian
stage, where the practise of banning the dissenting literature would be alien. Every society
should strive to achieve that utopian stage. No society in the world has been able to achieve
such a stage, that’s why, the practices like book banning are still prevalent in every society
around the globe.
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