The Indian import ban on Salman Rushdie's controversial novel The Satanic Verses, which had been in place for over three decades, is now on the verge of being lifted. This decision comes after a series of events that unfolded in a Delhi high court, where the Indian government conceded that it could not locate the original order imposing the ban.
The novel, released in 1988, became a global sensation due to its fictional exploration of religious themes. The Satanic Verses was inspired by the life of the Prophet Muhammad, though it did not explicitly name him. Despite its clear fictional nature, the book was condemned by many Muslim leaders who labelled it blasphemous.
This condemnation led to widespread protests and, most notably, a fatwa issued by Iran's supreme leader calling for Rushdie's death. As a result, Rushdie went into hiding for years, enduring threats to his life, including an assassination attempt in 2022, which left him severely injured and blind in one eye.
In India, the government imposed a ban on importing The Satanic Verses, primarily driven by fears of upsetting Muslim MPs and stirring religious unrest. Rushdie, who was born in India, expressed his disappointment in the government's decision, calling it a blow to Indian democracy.
He even wrote a letter to then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, which he later shared publicly, criticising the country’s response to the controversy and lamenting that it had turned into a “laughing stock.”
The ban on the novel was not unique to India, as several countries, particularly in the Middle East, followed suit. However, what set India apart was the lack of clarity on the formal legal grounds of the ban.
While the government issued an import prohibition, there was no official notification to explain or justify the restriction. In fact, when an Indian citizen, Sandipan Khan, attempted to buy the book in 2019, he was told it was illegal, but the government was unable to produce any documentation of the import ban. This prompted Khan to file a case in the Delhi high court, where he challenged the constitutionality of the ban.
For years, the case was tangled in bureaucratic delays, with the government repeatedly requesting extensions to track down the elusive order. However, on November 5, 2024, during a hearing, the government had to admit that the original import ban notification was “untraceable” and could not be found. The Delhi high court, therefore, had no choice but to presume that no such official order existed, effectively lifting the ban on the book.
This ruling has significant implications for free speech and the protection of artistic expression in India. Uddyam Mukherjee, the lawyer representing Khan, argued that the absence of the notification meant that the import ban had been lifted, allowing The Satanic Verses to be legally imported into the country once more.
This victory not only affects the fate of Rushdie’s novel but also sends a powerful message about the importance of transparency and accountability in the government’s decision-making process.
Rushdie’s novel remains one of the most discussed and controversial literary works of the late 20th century. While critics in the Muslim world condemned it as blasphemous, Rushdie himself has always defended the book as a work of fiction that does not intend to disrespect any religion.
In his 1988 letter to Gandhi, Rushdie criticised the Indian government for giving in to extremist pressure without having even read the book. He also noted, somewhat sarcastically, that the government’s insistence that the ban did not undermine the literary value of the book was a backhanded compliment, writing, “Thanks for the good review.”
Despite the controversy and the personal toll it took on him, Rushdie’s defence of The Satanic Verses as a work exploring identity, religion, and migration has remained steadfast.
With the lifting of the ban in India, his novel can once again be publicly discussed and read, marking a victory not just for Rushdie but for free speech and intellectual freedom.
The Delhi high court’s ruling and the untraceable import ban highlight an interesting paradox: a book that once faced immense opposition and censorship in India, primarily due to religious sensitivities, is now poised to be more accessible than ever.
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