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Court refuses to intervene in Ramayana book row

By IANS,

New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Monday refused to intervene in a controversy over contents of a history textbook of Delhi University relating to Hindu epic Ramayana.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah refused to pass any order on amending the contents of the book that is part of the university’s graduate-level syllabus and termed it a research matter.

“It is the university’s decision to amend the syllabus, so judicial intervention is not required,” said the bench while assuring that the court will pass a detailed order sometime later.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) that has objected to “Three Hundred Ramanayas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation”, an essay by late crtic and poet A.K. Ramanujan on different folk traditions related to the Ramayana.

It is a recommended reading for the students of second-year B.A. (honours) course in history.

“The objectionable references in the book are hurting the feelings of Hindus. It is a violation of fundamental rights,” advocate Monika Arora, who filed the PIL, told IANS.

Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have also opposed the essay as it mentions other versions of the narrative of Lord Ram’s life.