Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Govt promises new law to counter SC verdict

The Maharashtra government announced on the first day of the assembly’s monsoon session, Monday, that it will introduce a law by the next session to prevent literature defaming public figures from being published.

The decision has been taken in the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s verdict lifting the ban on the controversial book, ‘Shivaji: A Hindu King in Islamic India’, by US-based author James Laine. The legislative assembly also passed a resolution condemning Laine for his derogatory remarks against the Maratha emperor and his mother Jijabai.

The opposition brought an adjournment motion in both the houses over Laine’s book. In the ensuing discussion, home minister RR Patil said that the government will amend the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to ban defamatory literature. “Section 153 (a) of the CrPC deals with the act of spreading hatred among religions and communities, but the new amendment will enable the government to deal with indecent and scurrilous literature, and will entail stern punishment. The government wants to undertake the amendment on the lines of an existing law in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Full report here DNA

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