NEW DELHI — The longstanding prohibition on Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” in India now faces uncertainty, not due to a change in governmental stance following the author’s near-fatal stabbing over two years ago, but because of a lack of necessary documentation.
Recently, a New Delhi court concluded proceedings regarding a petition that had been filed five years prior, which challenged the government’s ban on the book’s import. This ban was initially enacted shortly after the novel’s controversial release in 1988, which sparked outrage among Muslims globally due to claims of blasphemy. A ruling delivered this week indicated that the court was unable to locate the official notification concerning the ban. Justice Rekha Palli, leading the panel, noted, “We have no other option except to presume that no such notification exists.”
The petitioner, Sandipan Khan, maintained that the import ban prevented him from acquiring the book, referencing an October 5, 1988, notification from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs. He reported difficulties in finding the notification on various official platforms. Khan’s attorney, Uddyam Mukherjee, clarified that the court’s decision implies, at present, there are no legal barriers against importing the book into India.
However, availability in bookstores remains ambiguous. A representative from Jain Book Agency in New Delhi expressed uncertainty over whether this legal ruling translates to the novel being stocked again, noting that any changes would depend on communication from the publisher. “What the ruling does is open up a potential path for the book to become available here,” Mukherjee explained. Still, he emphasized that there remains a possibility for any interested party to appeal the ruling.
Rushdie’s literary agent chose not to comment, and the author himself, now a citizen of both the United Kingdom and the United States, has not made a statement on the matter. Following the ruling, his U.S. publisher, Penguin Random House, announced it views this as a “significant new development” and is contemplating further actions. However, there has been no immediate response from Rushdie’s Indian publishing counterpart.
The recent court decision introduces a new chapter in Rushdie’s fraught relationship with India, where he was born in 1947, shortly before the country’s independence. He moved abroad during childhood, achieving literary success with “Midnight’s Children” in 1981, resulting in tensions with then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was a subject of satire in the novel. A legal dispute stemming from this satire led to Rushdie agreeing to changes in the book.
In the wake of the ban on “The Satanic Verses,” Rushdie publicly denounced the censorship and expressed skepticism about whether officials had even read his work. He characterized the ban as “anti-democratic” and politically motivated in a letter directed to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, which was published in The New York Times in 1988. Although he made appearances in India, including attendance at the Jaipur Literary Festival in 2007, he later withdrew from attending in 2012 due to safety concerns.
Apart from the ongoing ban in India, Rushdie’s book has been associated with a 1989 fatwa from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini that called for his death, which compelled the author into hiding. While he gradually returned to a semblance of normalcy, particularly after Iranian officials indicated they would not enforce the fatwa, he faced another life-threatening incident in 2022, when he was attacked during a speaking engagement in New York, leaving him with serious injuries. His experience during this attack has been detailed in his memoir, “Knife,” which has received critical acclaim.
Regarding the petition that prompted the recent ruling, Khan’s attorney shared that his client is a passionate reader who sought clarity after discovering the ban on Rushdie’s novel. Khan relentlessly pursued information from various agencies for over a year but was unable to locate the notification, which led him to seek judicial intervention. The court reaffirmed Khan’s legal right to seek out the book.
As for how Khan plans to acquire a copy now, that remains uncertain. Mukherjee noted, “If it becomes available in India, he will purchase it. However, he could also consider international online booksellers, as it is no longer prohibited to import the book into the country.”
