By IANS,
Mumbai : More than three years after the Supreme Court stayed an order of the Bombay High Court vacating a ban on James Laine’s controversial book on Chhatrapati Shivaji, the apex court Friday upheld the lower court’s order.
Maharashtra’s politicians Friday greeted with vociferous protests the apex order lifting the ban on the publication and distribution of the book – “Shivaji – The Hindu King In Muslim India”.
Shiv Sena executive president Udhav Thakeray said no bookstores in the state should stock or sell the book, which allegedly contains certain derogator references to the Maratha warrior king who is revered all over.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) went a step ahead by challenging bookstores to stock of sell the book published in 2003 by Oxford University Press and which was banned by the state government in Jan 2004
“Let the bookstores dare to keep the book. We shall deal with them in the MNS style,” MNS chief Raj Thackeray warned.
Three years ago, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had ordered his party workers to burn Laine’s book. “If it comes in the market, burn it wherever you find it,” he had declared.
The apex court ruling notwithstanding, the state government said it was in favour of continuing the ban.
“After getting the detailed orders of the apex court, we shall seek opinion to consider ways and means to ensure the continuance of the ban,” an official said here Friday evening.
The book is authored by Laine, a professor of religious studies, and published in New York and New Delhi in 2003.
Soon afterwards, some rightwing activists had attacked and destroyed ransacked the offices of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, which had helped with material to write the book.
Following that and other incidents of violence, the state government banned the book in Jan 2004.