The Maharashtra government's case against James Laine's controversial book on Shivaji in the Supreme Court had weakened because the state could not prove it hurt religious sentiments. Sources in the Law and Judiciary department told Hindustan Times that the state's case did not have any basis like it had when books of authors like Salman Rushdie were banned. "We couldn't e that Shivaji's defamation amounted to hurting people's religious sentiments," said an officer from the department on the condition of anonymity.
The state government had banned Laine's book, Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India, in 2004 but the Supreme Court on Friday upheld the Bombay High Court's verdict that the ban be lifted with immediate effect.
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said, "As far as banning the book is concerned, we share strong sentiments with the Opposition. We will ensure that the book is not sold or circulated in the state." Chavan, however, did not have specific information on how the government planned to do that.
Full report here Hindustan Times
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