Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses' back on shelves: Why India banned it

After 37 years, author Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses' returns to Indian shelves following a court ruling in November that deemed original ban void

Nearly four decades after its controversial import ban in India, author Salman Rushdie’s 'The Satanic Verses' is once again available for sale in bookstores across the country. The lifting of the ban follows a court ruling in November that deemed the government’s inability to produce the original notification as sufficient grounds to declare the ban void.

 

Why was 'The Satanic Verses' banned in India?

Published in September 1988, The Satanic Verses sparked global outrage, particularly within sections of the Muslim community, who accused the novel of being "blasphemous." Violent protests and book burnings erupted across the world, including in India, home to a significant Muslim population.

 

 

Under pressure from religious groups, the Indian government, led by then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, issued a customs order banning the book’s import on October 5, 1988.

 

The controversy, however, extended far beyond India.

 

Fatwa for Rushdie's assassination

In 1989, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s assassination. The threat forced the author into hiding for six years.

 

Even decades later, tensions surrounding the book remained high. As recently as August 2022, Rushdie was attacked during a public lecture in New York, leaving him partially blind and with limited mobility in one hand.

 

Indian political climate of the 1980s

The ban on 'The Satanic Verses' came at a time of significant political turbulence in India. The Rajiv Gandhi government was grappling with a series of controversies, including the Bofors scandal and criticism of its media censorship efforts. Additionally, the administration faced backlash for overturning a Supreme Court verdict in the Shah Bano case to placate conservative Muslim factions, while simultaneously navigating the burgeoning Ayodhya temple movement.

 

The decision to ban the book was widely criticised as a capitulation to religious pressure, with Rushdie himself penning an open letter to Rajiv Gandhi denouncing the move. The government later claimed the restriction applied only to the book’s import, not its content- a distinction that did little to appease critics.

 

Ban on 'The Satanic Verses' lifted

In November 2024, the Delhi High Court, while hearing a 2019 petition challenging the import ban, was informed by the government that the 1988 notification imposing the restriction was “untraceable.” On 5 November, the court declared that in the absence of the required documentation, there was no legal basis to uphold the prohibition.

 

Lawyer Uddyam Mukherjee, representing petitioner Sandipan Khan, confirmed that the ban was effectively nullified, allowing the novel to be freely imported and sold.

 

Khan initiated legal action after finding that the book was unavailable at Indian bookstores and discovering no official record of the ban on government websites. Even government officials, including those linked to the original notification, failed to produce the required documentation during court proceedings.

 

Reactions to the lifting of the ban

The reappearance of 'The Satanic Verses' on Indian shelves has been met with silence from most political leaders. However, some Congress veterans have revisited their earlier opposition to the ban.

 

Speaking to The Indian Express, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who served as Minister of State for Home Affairs in 1988, reiterated his belief that the ban was a mistake. Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor also welcomed the court’s decision, asserting that Indians should have the freedom to read Rushdie’s work and form their own opinions.

 

As of now, there are no signs of public backlash against the book’s return. With the passage of nearly 37 years, the socio-political landscape in India has evolved, and the risks of violent protests appear minimal. The novel’s reintroduction marks a symbolic victory for literary freedom in India, raising questions about the role of government intervention in creative expression.

 

The book is available for sale online and in select bookstores.