Indian Court: If You Do Not Like a Book, Throw It Away

An Indian high court has dissolved a ban on an important novel, declaring that the book by Perumal Murugan, translated into English as One Part Woman, is protected under the Indian Constitution’s right to freedom of expression. The work had been withdrawn for obscenity, after nationalist groups protested its content; Mr. Murugan later announced he was abandoning his writing career and withdrawing all his other publications. Said Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, “All writings, unpalatable for one section of the society, cannot be labeled as obscene, vulgar, depraving, prurient and immoral.”  He noted that the Constitution protects the individual’s right to speak and write’s one thoughts, and declared:

Whether the society is ready to read a particular book and absorb what it says without being offended, is a debate which has been raging for years together. Times have changed. What was not acceptable earlier became acceptable later. “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” is a classical example of it. The choice to read is always with the reader. If you do not like a book, throw it away.

Here is a link to the ruling.  More here and here from The Hindu opinion pages;  here from the New York Times opinion pages; discussion here from the BBC concerning the content of the work.