Sat Nov 09 15:03:04 UTC 2024: ## “Satanic Verses” Ban Disappears, Leaving India with an Ironic Twist
**New Delhi, November 9, 2024:** In a bizarre turn of events, India’s 36-year-old ban on Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” has vanished without a trace. The Delhi High Court, unable to locate the original customs notification that imposed the ban, has cleared the way for the book’s import into the country.
The original ban, issued in 1988, sparked global outrage and forced Rushdie into hiding following Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa against him. Now, the book’s re-emergence has left many questioning the existence of the ban itself, highlighting the often opaque nature of India’s bureaucracy.
While the ruling marks a victory for freedom of expression, the absence of the notification has sparked a debate about the legitimacy of other potential bans. Some are now questioning the availability of various other books presumed to be banned in India, including Stanley Wolpert’s “Nine Hours to Rama” and Aubrey Menen’s “The Ramayana.”
Critics argue that the incident underscores the ease with which censorship can be imposed and subsequently erased from official records. The ban on “The Satanic Verses,” they say, was never truly about literary merit but rather about political expediency.
The disappearance of the notification serves as a reminder that the fight for freedom of expression is an ongoing battle, one that requires constant vigilance against the arbitrary use of power. As the world watches with amusement and skepticism, India finds itself grappling with the legacy of a ban that, ironically, never truly existed.
First Piper 