New Delhi, July 12: The Supreme Court has held that banning a book/publication was a “drastic” power vested in the government and should be exercised cautiously lest it violates the “right of privacy” and Constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression.
Dismissing Maharashtra government’s appeal challenging the Bombay High Court’s decision to quash the ban and confisciation of the controversial book — “Shivaji – The Hindu King in Muslim India,” the apex court said the ban on notification failed to clearly spell out the so-called enmity it could provoke between the communities/people as claimed by the authorities.
–Agencies