Books on law woo students and advocates

What is the difference between the Lokpal Bill and the Jan Lokpal Bill? What is Indian Penal Code? What does Article 1 of the Indian Constitution state? The answers to these above questions were found at a book stall put up in the Ninth Book Fair currently underway at the Moti Mahal Lawns, Lucknow.

Right from books dealing with the Constitution of India to the glossary of legal terms, all are available here. "We want to create legal awareness at the grass root level. People should know the basic laws and its implementation, so that no one fools them," said Paul Jacob of Indian Social Institute (ISI). In fact, this is the only stall in the fair that has books on law. Organisers have been trying to catch hold of other publishers since the past nine years, but have failed badly.

"We have been consistently trying to woo law publishers to participate in the fair. But they cite reasons such as deficit in sale," said Dev Raj Arora and Umesh Dhall, the organisers. This year, they approached Eastern Book Company and various publishers from Allahabad but all refused to come. Reason: These publishers have a fixed target, which they fail to get in the book fair.

Full report here Times of India 

Court upholds Sahitya Akademi's nominations

The Delhi High Court Tuesday upheld Sahitya Akademi's decision to nominate three people recommended by the education department of Uttar Pradesh for the general council of the institution.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Manmohan dismissed a petition filed by Vikram Singh, a litterateur, who challenged the Akademi's decision to reject his name for the council in 2007.

Singh had used the transparency law to get details about his case from the Akademi.

'It is understandable that one has the right to seek information under RTI (Right to Information) Act but it is difficult to comprehend and appreciate the proclivity of a litterateur, claiming eminence, to chase with such unnecessary anxiety, especially when the recommendation is for the nomination of a member of a highly-respected body,' said the court.

Full report here Sify

The freedom to explore - Imagining Shivaji

It was in 2003-2004 that a minor academic work by the scholar James Laine set off a fierce, orchestrated campaign of political protests that led to the state-banning of a book, threats to the author and other Shivaji scholars, and ransacking of the BORI library in Pune by members of the then little-known Sambhaji Brigade.

In the wake of the recent Supreme Court judgment overturning the ban on Laine’s Shivaji, two things are very clear. The first is that the Shivaji case is no longer about free speech, but about complex political reactions. And the second is that the Shivaji case goes beyond just free speech and free expression; at the heart of Laine’s continuing travails is the question of what we’re free to think and explore in contemporary India.

The Supreme Court judgment turns on an apparently minor point: can an Act (Section 153A) that invokes the possibility of censorship in cases where religious sentiments may be hurt apply to a great historical figure who is, however, neither a prophet nor a God? The Maharashtra government was forced to admit that Shivaji, however great a Maratha hero he might be, is not a religious figure, and the state ban on the publication of Laine’s Shivaji was overturned on this technicality.

Full report here Business Standard

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

Of books, court cases and fatwas

The decision of the Supreme Court to lift the Maharashtra government's ban on James Laine's 2004 book, Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India, throws up some interesting points.

First and foremost should books be banned in this day and age?The newspaper Mint has a rather interesting editorial on it. (You can read it here). The basic point the edit makes is banning books in this day and age does not work.

"The reason such bans do not work is because the nature of the books business has changed. Paper isn't the only medium through which ideas or stories can now be communicated. Many of them can be communicated through digital media. And while piracy (just to clarify, this newspaper is against it) prevents the creators of content from being rewarded for their efforts, it ensures that books and movies that aren't meant to be available in a particular region are-freely," the edit says.

A good case in point is Hamish McDonald's biography of Dhirubhai Ambani The Polyester Prince. The book is banned in India, but is freely available in the pirated form at most traffic signals across metropolitan India. It can also be downloaded freely from the web.

Full report here DNA

Ban lifted, but bookstores want to wait and watch

Those waiting to buy a copy of American author James W Laine's controversial book Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India may have to wait longer. The Supreme Court on Friday, July 9 upheld the Bombay High Court's decision lifting the ban on the book but following threats from political parties because of allegedly derogatory remarks about the Maratha king in the book, bookstores are ing it safe.

"We have to see how the situation improves. Only depending on that we will stock it in our store," said the manager of one of the city's most popular bookstores.

"The high court lifted the ban two years ago but publishers were not printing the book. Now, the SC has lifted the ban. If publishers print it, we would definitely like to supply it to readers."

He said if the state government prohibits the sale of the book, bookstores will have to comply. Bookstores are also afraid of attacks from the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena who have threatened to burn copies of the book and warned bookstores against selling it.

'State case had no basis'

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

Furore over Shivaji book grows

A day after the Supreme Court lifted the ban, opposition to James Laine's controversial book Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India gathered momentum with political outfits of many hues demanding a complete ban.

While protests by right-wing Hindutva organisations like Sambhaji Brigade and Shivrajya Paksha that deify the Maratha warrior king is expected, many have been surprised by the number of Muslim organisations which have come together to protest the apex court's ruling.

All India Ulema Council General Secretary Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi said this support was in keeping with the tenets of Islam. "Islam says that we should support any effort which prevents the spread of hate in society.

The Koran is against disrespecting religious or social figures of other communities. This is why we are opposed to lifting the ban on Laine's book," he said.

Full report here Mumbai Mirror

Related news
Writers welcome SC judgment on Shivaji book Times of India

Laine’s book on Shivaji okay: SC

 In a blow to political censorship, the Supreme Court on Friday, July 9, rejected a plea by the state government to ban US author James Laine’s book on Chhatrapati Shivaji.

The apex court has upheld a 2007 Bombay high court decision allowing publication and circulation of the book, Shivaji -The Hindu King in Muslim India, in Maharashtra. Strangely enough, the state government had challenged the Bombay high court order almost two years after the ban was lifted.

It is far from clear if the book can actually be sold in the state, given the kind of jingoism over this issue. Maharashtra’s home minister R R Patil, said on Friday that the government was still in favour of the ban and would seek legal opinion on how it could be continued.

“I personally and the state government also feel that the ban should continue. We are seeking opinion of legal experts on approaching the court to ensure the ban continues,” Mr Patil said.

Full report here Economic Times


Related news
SC upholds Bombay HC verdict lifting ban on book on Shivaji Hindustan Times