HC closes case on ban of Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses'

THE Delhi High Court has closed a longstanding case challenging the alleged 1988 ban on importing India-British writer Salman Rushdie's controversial novel, The Satanic Verses, after customs authorities failed to produce any record of the notification purportedly enforcing the ban.

A division bench, comprising Justice Rekha Palli and Justice Saurabh Banerjee, observed that despite extensive attempts to retrieve the notification, no evidence of it could be found.

The case, filed in 2019 by petitioner Sandipan Khan, sought clarification and relief from the ban, which he argued restricted his right to access and import the book from publishers or international online sellers.