Plea in Delhi HC seeks ban on Salman Khurshid's book comparing Hindutva to ISIS

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A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking direction to stop the publication, circulation, and sale of former Union Minister Salman Khurshid's book for its alleged remarks on Hindutva.

The plea filed by Advocate Vineet Jindal through Advocate Raj Kishor Chaudhary contended that the recently-launched book "Sunrise over Ayodhya: Nationhood in our times" authored by Khurshid compared Hindutva to radical jihadist groups like ISIS And Boko Haram.

The comment has been made in a chapter called "The Saffron Sky" on Page 113 of the book which reads as under -- "Sanatan dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints was being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards, a political version similar to jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years," the plea read.

Further, it stated that the equivalence of Hinduism to ISIS and Boko Haram is perceived as a negative ideology Hindus have been following and Hinduism is violent, inhuman, and oppressive.

Freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1) of the Constitution goes hand-in-hand with reasonable restrictions that may be imposed under Article 19(2), So, in a country like India, which is perpetually on a communal tinderbox, where religious sentiments run deep, where respect for certain public and historical figures always come accompanied with veneration for their demi-god 9 status, it doesn't take much for malice to be coated with a toxic communal hue based on the contents of the book, the plea stated.

Earlier in a complaint to the Delhi Police, Jindal had demanded an FIR against Khurshid in the matter under 153,153A ,298 and 505 (2) of I.P.C which are cognizable offences and very serious and to take strict Legal Action.

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