List of books banned in India

2021-10-29T04:08:19Z

182.71.27.68:

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
This is a list of books or any specific textual material that have been or are banned in India or parts of India.

==Nationwide==
This section lists books that are banned or once faced a nationwide ban in India (including in [[British India]]).
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! width="5%" | Date
! width="20%"| Work
! width="10%"| Author
! class=unsortable|Notes
|-
| 1924
| ''[[Rangila Rasul]]''
| Pandit M. A. Chamupati or Krishan Prashaad Prataab<ref name="rasul">{{cite book|author1=John W. Cell|author2=John Whitson Cell|title=Hailey: A Study in British Imperialism, 1872–1969|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K5LX9AUcyMYC&pg=PA145|accessdate=11 August 2013|date=22 August 2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-52117-8|page=145}}</ref>
| In May 1924, this [[Urdu]] booklet was published in [[Lahore]]. The booklet purportedly described [[Prophet Muhammad]]'s relationship with women. The publisher, Raj Pal,<ref name="rasul2">{{cite book|author=Gene R. Thursby|title=Hindu-Muslim Relations in British India: A Study of Controversy, Conflict, and Communal Movements in Northern India 1923–1928|url=https://archive.org/details/hindumuslimrelat0000thur|url-access=registration|accessdate=11 August 2013|year=1975|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-04380-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/hindumuslimrelat0000thur/page/42 42]}}</ref> was charged under 153A of the [[Indian Penal Code]] for [[Hate speech laws in India|hate speech]] by the Punjab government. The final disposition came in May 1927.<ref name="rasul2"/> The court declared that law does not prohibit satirical writings about the deceased and the publisher was acquitted with a warning.<ref name="rasul"/><ref name="rasul3"/> On 6 April 1929, the publisher was murdered.<ref name="rasul3">{{cite book|author=Girja Kumar|title=The Book on Trial: Fundamentalism and Censorship in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n-KUICFfA00C&pg=PA55|accessdate=11 August 2013|date=1 January 1997|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|isbn=978-81-241-0525-2|pages=55, 58}}</ref><ref name="rasul4">{{cite book|author=Ayesha Jalal|title=Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pUKMZGznuoMC&pg=PA295|accessdate=11 August 2013|date=4 January 2002|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-203-18624-4|page=295}}</ref> The murderer, a Muslim youth named [[Ilm-ud-din]], was sentenced to death and the sentenced was carried out on 31 October 1929.<ref name="rasul5">{{cite book|title=The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0_Xm_2BOI3MC&pg=RA1-PT52|accessdate=11 August 2013|publisher=Rupa Publications|isbn=978-81-291-2125-7|date = 29 September 2012}}</ref> Ilm-ud-din's defence lawyer was [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]].
|-
| 1934
| ''Hindu Heaven''
| Max Wylie
| It cannot be brought into India.<ref name=chen1/> Max Wylie, the creator [[The Flying Nun]] TV show, researched this book while teaching in [[Lahore]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Class of 1927 Letter|url=http://www.hamilton.edu/history/half-century-annalists-letters/1927-class-annalists-letter|work=Half-Century Annalist Letters|publisher=Hamilton College|accessdate=7 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109172326/http://www.hamilton.edu/history/half-century-annalists-letters/1927-class-annalists-letter|archive-date=9 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The novel questioned the work of American missionaries in India.<ref name="Mukherjee1993">{{cite book|author=Sujit Mukherjee|title=Forster and Further: The Tradition of Anglo-Indian Fiction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYi3HztW19YC&pg=PA256|accessdate=7 August 2013|date=1 January 1993|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-0-86311-289-8|page=256}}</ref><ref name="sahib"/> It also dealt with the harsh effects of the climate on the missionaries.<ref name="Gupta1986">{{cite book|author=Raj Kumar Gupta|title=The Great Encounter: A Study of Indo-American Literature and Cultural Relations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S720d-apN-kC&pg=PA179|accessdate=7 August 2013|date=1 January 1986|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-211-6|page=179}}</ref>
|-
| 1933
| ''[[Angarey]]''
| Various
| This collection of stories by [[Sajjad Zaheer]], Ahmed Ali, Rashid Jahan and Mahmud-uz-Zafar was published in 1932. It drew protests from Muslim religious leaders.<ref name="Delhi2005">{{cite book|author=Department of English, University of Delhi|title=The Individual and Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ipd9qQWAXA4C&pg=PA37|accessdate=8 January 2015|date=1 September 2005|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-0417-2|page=37}}</ref> In 1933, it was banned by the British colonial government.<ref name=sahib/>
|-
| 1936
| ''The Face of Mother India''
| [[Katherine Mayo]]
| It cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen1>{{cite web|title=Prohibition on Importations into India (Part 1) |url=http://www.chennaicustoms.gov.in/imports/part1.htm |publisher=Chennai Customs (Government of India) |accessdate=7 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413020501/http://www.chennaicustoms.gov.in/imports/part1.htm |archivedate=13 April 2013 }}</ref> This illustrated book was famously called "the report of a drain inspector" by [[Mahatma Gandhi]].<ref>[[Katherine Mayo]]</ref>
|-
| 1936
| ''Old Soldier Sahib''
| [[Francis Philip Woodruff|Frank Richards]]
| The book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen1/> The book is a memoir of the author's time in [[British India]] as a veteran soldier.<ref name=sahib>{{cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Fiction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=am1PhEWMqdIC&pg=PA1003|accessdate=7 August 2013|date=8 December 2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4051-9244-6|page=1003}}</ref>
|-
| 1937
| ''The Land of the Lingam''
| Arthur Miles
| It cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen1/> The book is about [[Hinduism]], [[caste]] and [[phallicism]].<ref name=lingam1>{{cite web|title=The land of the lingam|url=http://yufind.library.yale.edu/yufind/Record/1783806|work=Library Catalog|publisher=[[Yale University]]|accessdate=7 August 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130811144418/http://yufind.library.yale.edu/yufind/Record/1783806|archive-date=11 August 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 1940
| ''Mysterious India''
| Moki Singh
| The book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen1/> The book purportedly contained stereotypes.<ref name=nilanjana2/>
|-
| 1945
| ''The Scented Garden: Anthropology of the Sex Life in the Levant''
| Bernhard Stern
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2>{{cite web|title=Prohibition on Importations into India (Part 2)|url=http://www.chennaicustoms.gov.in/imports/part2.htm|publisher=Chennai Customs (Government of India)|accessdate=7 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416072422/http://www.chennaicustoms.gov.in/imports/part2.htm|archive-date=16 April 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> This is a book about sexual practices and marriage rites of the people of Middle East ([[Levant]]).<ref name=levant1>{{cite web|title=The scented garden; anthropology of the sex life in the Levant|url=http://sbufind.library.stonybrook.edu/vufind/Record/STB000213291/Details|work=Library Catalog|publisher=[[Stony Brook University]]|accessdate=7 August 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130811144408/http://sbufind.library.stonybrook.edu/vufind/Record/STB000213291/Details|archive-date=11 August 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The book was allegedly sexually explicit.<ref name=nilanjana2>{{cite news|title=Banned in India: The 1930s–1960s|author=Nilanjana S. Roy|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/banned-in-india-the-1930s-1960s-106052301151_1.html|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[Business Standard]]|date=23 May 2006|author-link=Nilanjana S. Roy}}</ref>
|-
| 1950
| '' Pakistan-Pasmanzarwa Peshmanzar''
| Hameed Anwar
| This book, originally in [[Urdu]], cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2/>
|-
| 1950
| ''Cease-Fire''
| Agha Babar
| This book, originally in Urdu, cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2/>
|-
| 1950
| ''[[Khaak aur Khoon]]''
| Nusseim Hajazi
| This book, originally in Urdu, cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2/>
|-
| 1952
| '' Chadramohini''
|
| This book, originally in Urdu, cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2/>
|-
| 1952
| ''Marka-e-Somnath''
| Maulana Muhammad Sadiq Hussain Sahab Sadiq Siddiqui Sardanvi
| This book, originally in Urdu, is a Pakistani treatise on [[Somnath]] and it cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2/>
|-
| 1954
| ''Bhupat Singh''
| Kaluwank Ravatwank
| This book, originally in [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2/>
|-
| 1954
| ''What has Religion done for Mankind''
|
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2/> This is a book published by the [[Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society]].<ref name=whathas>{{cite web|title=What has religion done for mankind|url=http://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/ocm01811718|work=Library Catalog|publisher=[[University of Wisconsin-Madison]]|accessdate=10 August 2013}}</ref> This book tries to refute Eastern religions.<ref name="Jehovah">{{cite book|author=Tony Wills|title=A People for His Name: A History of Jehovah's Witnesses and an Evaluation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iTt2EphfPr8C&pg=PA235|accessdate=10 August 2013|date=1 February 2007|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-4303-0100-4|page=235}}</ref>
|-
| 1955
| ''Rama Retold''
| [[Aubrey Menen]]
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2/> It was a play<ref name="historylit"/> which was a spoof of the [[Ramayana]].<ref name="sanskritplays">{{cite book|author=P. Lal|title=Great Sanskrit Plays|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RfgbmJ_iLw4C&pg=PA291|accessdate=10 August 2013|year=1964|publisher=New Directions Publishing|isbn=978-0-8112-0079-0|page=291}}</ref> It was one of the first books to be banned in independent India.<ref name="historylit">{{cite book|author=Arvind Krishna Mehrotra|title=A History of Indian Literature in English|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xBioNT5sKEC&pg=PA192|accessdate=10 August 2013|date=January 2003|publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers|isbn=978-1-85065-681-4|page=192}}</ref> The American edition was simply called ''The Ramayana''.<ref name="sanskritplays"/>
|-
| 1955
| ''Dark Urge''
| Robert W. Taylor
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen2/>
|-
| 1958
| ''Captive Kashmir: Story of a Betrayed and Enslaved People''
| Aziz Beg
| This book is highly critical of India's stand on Kashmir. This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen3>{{citation |url=http://www.chennaicustoms.gov.in/imports/part3.htm |title= Prohibition on Importations into India (Part 3)|publisher= Chennai Customs (Government of India) |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921231147/http://www.chennaicustoms.gov.in/imports/part3.htm |archivedate=21 September 2012 |accessdate=7 August 2013 }}</ref>
|-
| 1959
| ''The Heart of India''
| Alexander Campbell
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen3/> Alexander Campbell was [[Time magazine]]'s New Delhi correspondent. The book is a fictionalized and humorous account of Indian bureaucracy and economic policies.<ref name=YouCant/>
|-
| 1960
| ''[[The Lotus and the Robot]]''
| [[Arthur Koestler]]
| This book contains the author's experiences in India and Japan. The book was highly critical of the cultures of both nations.<ref name=nilanjana>{{cite news|title=Banned books in India: 1970s–2006|author=Nilanjana S. Roy|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/Opinion/-b-Nilanjana-S-Roy-b-Banned-books-in-India-1970s-2006-106053001122_1.html|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[Business Standard]]|date=30 May 2006|author-link=Nilanjana S. Roy}}</ref> The book was banned for its negative portrayal of [[Gandhi]].<ref name="robot1">{{cite book|author=Shoji Yamada|title=Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen, and the West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5BwyUDy2cBUC&pg=PA215|accessdate=11 August 2013|date=29 November 2011|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-94765-5|page=215}}</ref>
|-
| 1962
| ''Nine Hours to Rama''
| [[Stanley Wolpert]]
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen3/> The book and the [[Nine Hours to Rama|movie]] based on it, both were banned in India. The book was thought to be justifying the actions of [[Nathuram Godse]] who murdered [[Gandhi]].<ref name="AngloIndianFiction">{{cite book|author=Sujit Mukherjee|title=Forster and Further: The Tradition of Anglo-Indian Fiction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYi3HztW19YC&pg=PA261|accessdate=10 August 2013|date=1 January 1993|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-0-86311-289-8|page=261}}</ref> The book also points to the lapse in security.<ref name=nilanjana2/><ref name=YouCant/>
|-
| 1963
| ''Nepal''
| [[Toni Hagen]]
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen3/>
|-
| 1963
| ''Ayesha''
| Kurt Frischler
| This book is alleged to hurt Muslim sentiments. This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen3/> The original German title was ''Aischa: Mohammed's Lieblingfrau'' (Aischa: Mohammed's Favorite Wife).<ref name=ayesha>{{cite book|title=Ayesha|publisher=[[Open Library]]|ol=22868023M}}</ref>
|-
| 1963
| ''Unarmed Victory''
| [[Bertrand Russell]]
| The book dealt with the [[Sino-Indian War]] which India lost.<ref name=PubAndBan/>
|-
| 1964
| ''[[An Area of Darkness]]''
| [[V. S. Naipaul]]
| Banned for its negative portrayal of India and its people.<ref name=YouCant/>
|-
| 1968
| ''The Jewel in the Lotus''
| [[Allen Edwardes]]
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen3/> ''Allen Edwardes'' was the pen-name of a scholar who wrote on Middle East and Oriental erotica.
|-
| 1969
| ''The Evolution of the British Empire and Commonwealth from the American Revolution''
| Alfred LeRoy Burt
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen4>{{citation |url=http://www.chennaicustoms.gov.in/imports/part4.htm |title= Prohibition on Importations into India (Part 4)|publisher= Chennai Customs (Government of India) |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921231147/http://www.chennaicustoms.gov.in/imports/part4.htm |archivedate=21 September 2012 |accessdate=7 August 2013 }}</ref>
|-
| 1969
| ''A Struggle between two lines over the question of How to Deal with U.S. Imperialism''
| Hsiu-chu Fan
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen4/>
|-
|-
| 1970
| ''Man from Moscow''
| [[Greville Wynne]]
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen4/> Greville Wynne was a courier for the British [[Secret Intelligence Service]] (MI6). The book is about his involvement with [[Oleg Penkovsky]].<ref name="ColdWar">{{cite book|author=Nigel West|title=Historical Dictionary of Cold War Counterintelligence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0eAHTaMMP6QC&pg=PA378|accessdate=10 August 2013|date=26 January 2007|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6463-4|page=378}}</ref> The book was banned for purportedly misrepresenting Indian policies.<ref name=nilanjana/>
|-
| 1975
| ''Early Islam''
| Desmond Stewart
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen4/> The book purportedly contained grievous factual errors.<ref name=nilanjana/>
|-
| 1975
| ''Nehru: A Political Biography''
| Michael Edwardes
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen4/> The book purportedly contained grievous factual errors.<ref name=nilanjana/>
|-
| 1976
| ''Freedom at Midnight''
| [[Larry Collins Dominique Lapierre]]
|
|-
| 1976
| ''India Independent''
| [[Charles Bettelheim]]
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen4/> It was banned for criticising the policies of the Indian government.<ref name="YouCant"/>
|-
| 1978
| ''China's Foreign Relations Since 1949''
| Alan Lawrence
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen4/>
|-
| 1979
| ''Who killed Gandhi''
| Lourenço de Salvador
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name=chen4/> The book was considered inflammatory and ill-researched.<ref name="YouCant"/><ref name=nilanjana/>
|-
| 1983
| ''The Price of Power: Kissinger and Nixon in the White House''
| [[Seymour Hersh]]
| Briefly banned for alleging [[Morarji Desai]] to be a CIA informer.<ref name=YouCant/> The book claimed that Morarji Desai was paid 20,000 USD per year, starting from the time of [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]. Desai obtained an injunction from the [[Bombay High Court]] for a temporary ban and sued for damages worth US$5 million in US.<ref name=desai>{{cite news|title=Desai Obtains Ban On Hersh Book in India|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/14/world/around-the-world-desai-obtains-ban-on-hersh-book-in-india.html|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=14 July 1983}}</ref>
|-
| 1984
| ''Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim''
| [[Sunanda K. Datta-Ray]]
| The book dealt with India's annexation of [[Sikkim]]. The Delhi High Court had stopped its publication after a political officer station in [[Gangtok]] at the time filed a defamation suit. The book was later allowed for release.<ref name=BookedNotRead>{{cite news|title=Booked but not read: When the law is used for a private agenda|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140215/jsp/opinion/story_17937626.jsp|accessdate=8 January 2015|work=[[The Telegraph (India)]]|date=15 February 2014}}</ref><ref name=SikkimVeil>{{cite news|title=Lifting the 'sacred veil' on Sikkim|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/lifting-the-sacred-veil-on-sikkim-114022501239_1.html|accessdate=8 January 2015|work=[[Business Standard]]|date=25 February 2014}}</ref>
|-
| 1988
| ''[[The Satanic Verses]]''
| [[Salman Rushdie]]
| This book cannot be imported into India.<ref name="reading legal">{{cite news| url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-25/india/30662344_1_import-ban-book-satanic-verses | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429125416/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-25/india/30662344_1_import-ban-book-satanic-verses | url-status=dead | archive-date=29 April 2013 | author=Manoj Mitta |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | title=Reading 'Satanic Verses' legal | date=25 January 2012 | accessdate=24 October 2013}}</ref> Import ban was imposed after Muslim groups protested that it was blasphemous and hurt their religious sentiments.<ref name=YouCant>{{cite news|last=Suroor|first=Hasan|title=You can't read this book|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/you-cant-read-this-book/article2953626.ece|accessdate=7 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=3 March 2012}}</ref> India was the first country to ban this book.<ref name=nilanjana/>
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Soft Target (book)|Soft Target: How the Indian Intelligence Service Penetrated Canada]]''
| Zuhair Kashmeri and Brian McAndrew
| The book claims that the Indian intelligence agencies penetrated the [[Sikhism in Canada|Canadian Sikh]] community, [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) and [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service]] (CSIS) to discredit the demand for a separate [[Khalistan movement|Sikh state]].<ref name=SoftTarget>{{cite news|title=Soft Target: How the Indian Intelligence Service Penetrated Canada, Zuhair Kashmeri and Brian McAndrew|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/danielle-crittenden/banned-books-week_b_984910.html|accessdate=8 January 2015|work=[[Huffington Post]] (Canada)|date=28 November 2011}}</ref>
|-
| 1991
| ''Understanding Islam through Hadis''
| [[Ram Swarup]]
| The book, originally published in 1982, was banned for its critique of political Islam.<ref name=PubAndBan>{{cite news|title=Publish and be banned|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100718/jsp/7days/story_12697165.jsp|accessdate=8 January 2015|work=[[The Telegraph (India)]]|date=18 July 2010}}</ref>
|-
| 2005
|''[[The True Furqan]]''
| Al Saffee, Al Mahdee
| Banned for purportedly mocking Islam.<ref name=YouCant/> The book has been allegedly written by a Christian evangelical group to proselytise Muslims.<ref name=nilanjana/> The import of this book is strictly prohibited.<ref>{{cite web|last=Prakash |first=Anupam |title=Notification No. 78 /2005-Customs (N.T.) |url=http://www.cbec.gov.in/customs/cs-act/notifications/notfns-2k5/csnt78-2k5.htm |publisher=[[Central Board of Excise and Customs]] |accessdate=11 August 2013 |date=7 September 2005 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424042524/http://www.cbec.gov.in/customs/cs-act/notifications/notfns-2k5/csnt78-2k5.htm |archivedate=24 April 2015 }}</ref>
|-
| 2014
| ''Santsurya Tukaram'' and ''Loksakha Dnyaneshwar''
| [[Anand Yadav]]
| A [[Pune]] court ordered the copies of the books to be destroyed in June 2014. The complaint Jaisingh More had claimed that the book was derogatory to [[Tukaram]] and [[Dnyaneshwar]]. The publishers defended the book and the author's daughter stated that they will appeal in a higher court.<ref name=tukaram>{{cite news|title='Destroy' defamatory books on saints: Court|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/destroy-defamatory-books-on-saints-court/|accessdate=28 June 2014|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=11 June 2014}}</ref>
|}

== Statewide ==
This section lists books that were banned by a state government. The Section 95 of the ''[[Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973]]'' allows the state governments to declare any publication as forfeit.<ref name=CPC>{{cite web|title=Criminal Procedure Code, 1973|url=http://www.oecd.org/site/adboecdanti-corruptioninitiative/46814340.pdf|publisher=[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]]|accessdate=6 April 2016}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! width="5%" | Date
! width="20%"| Work
! width="10%"| Author
! State(s)
! class=unsortable|Notes
|-
| 1944
| [[Satyarth Prakash]]
| [[Dayananda Saraswati]]
| Sindh
| Satyartha Prakash was banned in some princely states and in Sindh in 1944 and is still banned in Sindh.<ref>The Book on Trial: Fundamentalism and Censorship in India, Girja Kumar</ref> In 2008 two Indian Muslims, Usman Ghani and Mohammad Khalil Khan of Sadar Bazar, Delhi, following the [[fatwa]] of Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, the Imam of [[Fatehpuri Masjid]] in Delhi, urged the [[Delhi High Court]] to ban ''Satyarth Prakash''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/09/stories/2008050953550500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514082330/http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/09/stories/2008050953550500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-05-14|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=2008-05-09|title=Arya Samaj plans march to defend book by founder}}</ref> However, the court dismissed the petition and commented "A suit by Hindus against the Quran or by Muslims against Gita or Satyarth Prakash claiming relief... are in fact, meant to play mischief in the society."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aryasamajtoday.com/DocumentLibrary.aspx?aid=19|title=Plea seeking ban on Dayanand book is 'mischief'}}</ref>
|-
| 1969
| ''Ramayana: A True Reading''
| [[Periyar E. V. Ramasamy]]
| [[Uttar Pradesh]]
| The Hindi version of the book, ''Sachchi Ramayana'', was banned by the state government and all copies were seized in December 1969. The publisher challenged the decision in the [[Allahabad High Court]]. The court nullified the ban and asked the government to return all copies to the publisher. The state government challenged the High Court in the Supreme Court. On 16 September 1976, Supreme Court declared the ban to be illegal. However, the government ignored the court decisions and managed to stop sales of the book, until 1995. In 1995, after the political party [[Bahujan Samaj Party]] (BSP) came to power, the book was widely published for the Periyar [[mela]] held in September 1995.<ref name="Kumar1997">{{cite book|author=Girja Kumar|title=The Book on Trial: Fundamentalism and Censorship in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n-KUICFfA00C&pg=PA331|date=1 January 1997|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|isbn=978-81-241-0525-2|pages=329–331}}</ref>
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Bhavsagar Granth]]''
| Followers of [[Baba Bhaniara]]
| [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
| Banned by [[Parkash Singh Badal]]-led Punjab government in 2001 for allegedly insulting the Sikh faith. The state arrested the people who were found in possession of the book, and confiscated its copies.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Meeta |author2=Rajivlochan |title=Caste and Religion in Punjab: Case of the Bhaniarawala Phenomenon |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=42 |issue=21 |year=2007 |pages=1909–1913 |jstor=4419630}}</ref> In November 2008, the Supreme Court of India overturned the ban, stating that the Punjab government was allowed to issue a fresh ban, if needed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1608474/ |title=Piara Singh Bhaniara vs State of Punjab And Another on 11 November, 2008 |publisher=India Kanoon |date=11 November 2008 }}</ref> The Punjab Government then banned the book on 15 December 2008.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/panel-to-study-controversial-book-of-baba-bhaniara-4383467/ |title=Panel to study controversial book of Baba Bhaniara |newspaper=The Indian Express |date=19 November 2016 }}</ref>
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Dwikhandito]]''
| [[Taslima Nasrin]]
| [[West Bengal]]
| The CPI(M) government banned the book on 28 November 2003 fearing that book could incite communal discord.<ref name=Dwikhandita>{{cite news|title=Bengal bans Taslima's book|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2003/11/29/stories/2003112905441100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051224124145/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2003/11/29/stories/2003112905441100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 December 2005|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=29 November 2003}}</ref> In November 2003, the [[Calcutta High Court]] put out an injunction against publication after a poet, Syed Hasmat Jalal, filed an 110 million [[Indian rupee|INR]] defamation suit.<ref name=hasmat>{{cite news|title=Court stay fills money-box – Sale shoots up of Nasreen novels, printers line up legal recourse|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031121/asp/calcutta/story_2593272.asp|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Telegraph (India)]]|date=21 November 2003}}</ref> On 22 September 2005, the court lifted the ban.<ref name=nasrin3>{{cite news|title=Indian court lifts ban on Nasrin book|url=http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=122708|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[Gulf Daily News]]|date=23 September 2005}}</ref>

|-
| 2004
| ''Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India''
| [[James Laine]]
| [[Maharashtra]]
| On January 2004, a mob alleging disparaging remarks made about [[Shivaji]] attacked [[Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute]] where Laine had researched the book. Several rare manuscripts were destroyed in the process.<ref name=shivaji2>{{cite news|title=Mob ransacks Bhandarkar Institute, destroys rare manuscripts|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/06/stories/2004010608530100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040117072001/http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/06/stories/2004010608530100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 January 2004|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=6 January 2013}}</ref> On 14 January, the state government run by the Congress Party under Sushil Kumar Shinde banned the book.<ref name=shivaji1>{{cite news|title=Maharashtra bans book on Shivaji|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/15/stories/2004011504731400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040215045237/http://www.hindu.com/2004/01/15/stories/2004011504731400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 February 2004|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=15 January 2004}}</ref> In 2007, the [[Bombay High Court]] revoked the ban.<ref name=ShivajiHC>{{cite news|title=HC quashes ban on Laine's book on Shivaji|url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=468461|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[Outlook India]]|date=26 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222221740/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=468461|archive-date=22 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The state government challenged the decision in the Supreme Court. Supreme Court upheld the previous decision and lifted the ban in 2010.<ref name=ShivajiSC>{{cite news|title=Supreme Court upholds lifting of ban on Shivaji book|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/1407570/report-supreme-court-upholds-lifting-of-ban-on-shivaji-book|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[DNA India]]|date=9 July 2010}}</ref>
|-
| 2006
| ''The Epic of Shivaji: A Translation and Study of Kavindra Paramananda’s Sivabharata''
| [[James Laine]]
| [[Maharashtra]]
| The book was banned for allegedly containing derogatory references on grounds that it could cause a law and order problem.<ref name=EpicShivaji1>{{cite news|title=Shivaji book ban|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060110/asp/nation/story_5702254.asp|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=Shivaji book ban|date=10 January 2006}}</ref>
|-
| 2006
| ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]''
| [[Dan Brown]]
| [[Nagaland]]
| The book was banned by the government for allegedly containing blasphemous remarks about Jesus.<ref name=DanBrown1>{{cite news|title=Nagaland awakes, bans bestseller|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060524/asp/nation/story_6261949.asp|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Telegraph (India)]]|date=23 May 2006}}</ref>
|-
| 2007
| ''Islam: A Concept of Political World Invasion''
| R. V. Bhasin
| [[Maharashtra]]
| The book was released in 2003. It was banned by the Congress government in 2007 ground that it contained derogatory remarks about Islam and Prophet Mohammad.<ref name=Bhasin2/> In 2010, Bombay High Court upheld the ban.<ref name=Bhasin1>{{cite news|title=HC upholds ban on book, says criticism should be healthy|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/HC-upholds-ban-on-book--says-criticism-should-be-healthy/564256/|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]|date=7 January 2010}}</ref> The decision was challenged in the Supreme Court but it rejected the appeal.<ref name=Bhasin2>{{cite news|title=Supreme Court declines to interfere with book ban order|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article399111.ece|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=16 April 2010|author=J. Venkatesan}}</ref>
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence]]''
| [[Jaswant Singh]]
| [[Gujarat]]
| Banned in Gujarat but overturned.<ref name=YouCant/> The book was on banned on 19 August 2009,<ref name=jinnah3/> for containing defamatory references to [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]].<ref name=jinnah>{{cite news|last=Bhatnagar|first=Rakesh|title=Legal eagles slam ban|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1284117/report-legal-eagles-slam-ban|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[DNA India]]|date=20 August 2009}}</ref> Jaswant Singh was also expelled from his political party, [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]], for writing this book.<ref name=jinna2>{{cite news|title=Modi govt bans book, says it's a bid to tarnish Sardar image|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Modi-govt-bans-book--says-it-s-a-bid-to-tarnish-Sardar-image/504250|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]|date=20 August 2009}}</ref> On 4 September, the [[Gujarat High Court]] revoked the ban.<ref name=jinnah3>{{cite news|last=Dasgupta|first=Manas|title=Gujarat ban on Jaswant book struck down|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/article15081.ece|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=4 September 2011}}</ref><ref>Shourie, A. (2010). We must have no price: National security, reforms, political reconstruction. New Delhi: Express Group.</ref>[[Jharkhand]]
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India]]''
| [[Joseph Lelyveld]]
| [[Gujarat]]
| The biographical book suggested that Gandhi was a [[bisexual]].<ref name=greatsoul1>{{cite news|title=Book on Gandhi Stirs Passion in India|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/books/gandhi-biography-by-joseph-lelyveld-roils-india.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=7 August 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=31 March 2011}}</ref> It is banned in the state of [[Gujarat]] (where [[Gandhi]] was born) on 31 March 2011.<ref name=greatsoul2>{{cite news|title=Gujarat House resolution to ban Lelyveld's book|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1585690.ece|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=31 March 2011}}</ref> The Union Law Minister [[Veerappa Moily]] hinted that the Centre may also ban the book. Gandhi's grandsons, [[Tushar Gandhi]],<ref name=greatsoul3>{{cite news|title=Ban will be a greater insult: Tushar|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/article1585700.ece|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=31 March 2011|author=Amruta Byatnal}}</ref> [[Rajmohan Gandhi]]<ref name=greatsoul4>{{cite news|title=Don't ban book: Bapu grandson|newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]]|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorial-views-on/ColumnsOthers/Don-t-ban-book-Bapu-grandson/Article1-679218.aspx|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130811144358/http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorial-views-on/ColumnsOthers/Don-t-ban-book-Bapu-grandson/Article1-679218.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 August 2013|accessdate=11 August 2013|date=30 March 2011}}</ref> and [[Gopalkrishna Gandhi]],<ref name=greatsoul5>{{cite news|title=Letters: On Great Soul|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/letters/on-great-soul/article1597030.ece|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=4 April 2011}}</ref> expressed opposition to the ban proposal. On 4 April, Moily ruled out the ban.<ref name=greatsoul6>{{cite news|title=Moily Rules Out Ban on Lelyveld's Gandhi Book|url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=717612|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[Outlook India]]|date=4 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222220007/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=717612|archive-date=22 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 2013
| ''Meendezhum Pandiyar Varalaru (Resurgence of Pandiyan History)''
| [[K. Senthil Mallar]]
| [[Tamil Nadu]]
| The Tamil Nadu government banned this [[Tamil language|Tamil]] book on 30 May 2013 on grounds that it may cause violence and promote discord among communities. The book allegedly claims the [[Dalit]] community called [[Pallar]], were among the rulers of the [[Pandya]] kingdom. The author has appealed in the [[Madras High Court]] against the ban.<ref name=Pandiyar1>{{cite news|title=Author of banned book doesn't want dalit judge to hear plea|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-19/chennai/40678013_1_k-senthil-mallar-meendezhum-pandiyar-varalaru-dalit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108033241/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-19/chennai/40678013_1_k-senthil-mallar-meendezhum-pandiyar-varalaru-dalit|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 January 2014|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=19 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="Pandiyar2">{{cite news|title=Different bench to hear case on govt ban on Tamil book|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/different-bench-to-hear-case-on-govt-ban-on-tamil-book/article4931856.ece|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[Business Line]]|date=18 July 2013}}</ref>
 
|-
|2017
|''The Adivasi Will Not Dance''
|[[Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar]]
|Jharkhand
|On 11 August 2017, the government of [[Jharkhand]] banned ''The Adivasi Will Not Dance: Stories'' and summarily suspended the author from his job, on the grounds that the book portrayed Adivasi women and Santhal culture in a bad light.<ref>Sudipta Datta, '[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hansda-sowvendra-shekharfighting-a-ban/article19525262.ece Who is Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, fighting a ban]', ''The Hindu'' (19 August 2017). {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #3 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> The key complainants appear to have been the ruling party in Jharkhand, the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]], the opposition party [[Jharkhand Mukti Morcha]], and an academic at [[Jamia Millia Islamia]].<ref>Ziya Us Salam, '[http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/a-santhal-suppressed/article9873860.ece A Santhal Suppressed]', ''Frontline'' (13 October 2017). {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #4 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> The government's actions were widely criticised.<ref>Sanjay Srivastava, '[https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/what-the-ban-on-the-adivasi-will-not-dance-tells-us-about-india-s-political-life/story-gPtXIRpKwDcwl0zTEgEdVN.html What the ban on The Adivasi Will Not Dance tells us about India’s political life]', ''Hindustan Times'' (14 August 2017). {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #5 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>Ruchir Joshi, '[http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/the-reader-will-not-dance/article19482115.ece The reader will not dance]', ''The Hindu'' (13 August 2017). {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #6 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>'[https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/dubbed-porn-book-on-tribals-banned-in-jharkhand/articleshow/60041186.cms Dubbed 'porn', book on tribals banned in Jharkhand', ''The Times of India'' (13 August 2017).] {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #7 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>'[https://thewire.in/171820/jharkhand-book-ban-condemned/ Writers, Activists Condemn Banning of ‘The Adivasi Will Not Dance’ in Jharkhand]', ''The Wire'' (29 August 2017). {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #8 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> The ban on ''The Adivasi Will Not Dance: Stories'' was removed in December 2017<ref>{{cite web |url=https://scroll.in/latest/861308/four-months-after-ban-jharkhand-finds-nothing-objectionable-in-hansda-shekhars-book-on-adivasis |title=Four months after ban, Jharkhand finds nothing objectionable in Hansda Shekhar's book on Adivasis |work=Scroll |date=13 December 2017 |accessdate=2 September 2018}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #9 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jharkhand-govt-finds-nothing-objectionable-in-santhal-writers-book-ban-could-be-lifted-sowvendra-shekhar-hansda-4981307/ |title=Jharkhand: Govt finds nothing objectionable in Santhal writer's book, ban could be lifted |work=The Indian Express |author=Prashant Pandey |date=14 December 2017 |accessdate=2 September 2018}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #10 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> and Shekhar's suspension was removed and he was reinstated into his job in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indianculturalforum.in/2018/08/17/suspension-on-writer-hansda-sowvendra-shekhar-revoked/ |title=Suspension on Writer Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar Revoked |work=Indian Cultural Forum |author=ICF Team |date=17 August 2018 |accessdate=2 September 2018}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #11 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/playing-with-fire-5334097/ |title=Playing with Fire: Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar on his first children's book |work=The Indian Express |author=Paromita Chakrabarti |date=2 September 2018 |accessdate=2 September 2018}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913157723 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884602314 cite #12 – verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref>
|}

==Other challenged books==
This section lists books that have been legally challenged to impose a ban or to exclude from a syllabus. Some books listed here are unavailable or were unavailable for some time in India or parts of it, due to pending court decisions or voluntary withdrawal by the publishers.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! width="5%" | Date
! width="20%"| Work
! width="10%"| Author
! class=unsortable|Notes
|-
| 1892
| ''Risala-i-Jihad''
| [[Pandit Lekh Ram]]
| Pandit Lekh Ram's Risala-i-Jihad was challenged and a ban was attempted.<ref>Arya Dharm: Hindu Consciousness in 19th-century Punjab by Kenneth W. Jones</ref> Risala-i-Jihad ya'ri Din-i-Muhammad ki Bunyad (A Treatise on waging holy war, or the foundation of the Muhammadan Religion) caused a considerable outcry, when it was published in 1892. Until his murder by a Mirza qadyani follower five years later, Lekh Ram continued to stir up animosity by his vituperative writings."<ref>(Punjab and the Raj, 1849–1947", p. 72–73) Ian Talbot.</ref>
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Quran]]''
| Religious text
| On 20 July 1984, H.K. Chakraborty wrote to the Secretary, Department of Home Government of West Bengal, demanding the ban of the Quran. Chakraborty thereafter with Chandmal Chopra wrote to the Department of Home Government of [[West Bengal]] on 16 March 1985.<ref name=":0" /> Chopra then filed a writ Petition at the High Court. ''Chandmal Chopra'' tried to obtain an order banning the Koran, by filing a Writ Petition at the [[Calcutta]] High Court on 29 March 1985. The petition claimed that Sections 153A and 295A of the [[Indian Penal Code]], and Section 95 of the [[Criminal Procedure]] Code were often used by Muslims to ban or proscribe publications critical of Islam, and stated that "so far it had been the privilege of the [[Peoples of the Book]] to ban and burn the sacred literature of the Pagans."<ref name=":0" /> Chandmal Chopra thought that the Koran "on grounds of religion promotes disharmony, feeling of enmity, hatred and ill-will between different religious communities and incite people to commit violence and disturb public tranquility..." [[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]] of 9 May 1985 reported that the Union Government would make itself a party in the case, and the Union law minister Ashoke Sen and the attorney-general of the Government of India were going to take action against the case.<ref>The Telegraph 9 May 1985. The Telegraph 10 May 1985.</ref> Muslim lawyers after a meeting condemned the case. According to [[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]] of 10 May, the Chief Minister of West Bengal called the petition "a despicable act". Other politicians in the Lok Sabha at New Delhi, and the Minister of State for Law condemned the Petition.<ref>The Statesman 11 May 1985.</ref> Pakistan's minister of state for religious and minority affairs claimed that the petition was the ‘worst example of religious intolerance’, and he urged the Indian government to ‘follow the example of Pakistan’ in ensuring freedom of religion.<ref>The Telegraph, 14 May 1985</ref> The petition was however dismissed in May 1985. The [[Attorney-General]] of the Government of India and the [[Advocate-General]] of West Bengal appeared in the case and argued against Chopra's petition. On 18 June 1985 Chandmal Chopra filed a review petition, which was dismissed on 21 June.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Calcutta Quran petition|last=Chandmal|first=Chopra|last2=Ram|first2=Goel, Sita|last3=India)|first3=India. High Court (Calcutta|date=1 January 2012|publisher=Voice of India|isbn=978-8185990583|oclc=935213876}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://progressbangladesh.com/quran-day-a-legacy-of-blood-and-impunity/|title=Quran Day: A legacy of blood and impunity {{!}} Progress Bangladesh|website=progressbangladesh.com|access-date=14 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705153528/http://progressbangladesh.com/quran-day-a-legacy-of-blood-and-impunity/|archive-date=5 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.talukdershaheb.com/2015/05/11/quran-day-a-legacy-of-blood-and-impunity/|title=Quran Day: A legacy of blood and impunity|last=Shaheb|first=Talukder|date=11 May 2015|website=Talukder Shaheb's Blog|access-date=14 May 2017}}</ref>
|-
| 1993
| ''Hindu View of Christianity and Islam''
| [[Ram Swarup]]
| Ram Swarup's ''Hindu View of Christianity and Islam'' was challenged by [[Syed Shahabuddin]] (who previously successfully managed to get the Satanic Verses banned). Indian authorities were to impose a ban on the book, Syed Shahabuddin asked that the government have the book examined "from the point of view of banning it under the law of the land."<ref>Arun Shourie: How should we respond? The Observer of Business and Politics, New Delhi, on 26 November 1993</ref><ref>K.S. Lal Statement by Indian intellectuals on Syed Shahabuddin's attempt to make the authorities impose a ban on the book Hindu View of Christianity and Islam by Ram Swarup (1993)</ref><ref>Goel, S. R., Arun Shourie (1998). Freedom of expression: Secular theocracy versus liberal democracy.</ref>
|-
| 1995
| ''[[The Moor's Last Sigh]]''
| [[Salman Rushdie]]
| The book contained a character resembling [[Balasaheb Thackeray]], the leader of the right-wing party [[Shiv Sena]]. The book faced protests from the party. The book also contained a dog named, Jawaharlal, named after India's first Prime Minister, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. Prime Minister [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]] ''unofficially'' banned the book. In September 1995, the local publishers [[Rupa & Co.]] were asked to stop selling the book while it was being reviewed. Rupa & Co. decided to approach the [[Supreme Court of India]] in response.<ref name=moor>{{cite news|title=Another Rushdie Novel, Another Bitter Epilogue|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/02/world/new-delhi-journal-another-rushdie-novel-another-bitter-epilogue.html|accessdate=21 July 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2 December 1995}}</ref> The court the declared the ban unconstitutional in February 1996.<ref name="Gonzalez2005">{{cite book|author=Madelena Gonzalez|title=Fiction After the Fatwa: Salman Rushdie and the Charm of Catastrophe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=swnXyO4BZWcC&pg=PA12|accessdate=21 July 2014|year=2005|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=90-420-1962-X|page=12}}</ref> However, book sellers were reluctant to stock the book in [[Maharashtra]], the home of Shiv Sena, due to the fear of [[vandalism]].<ref name="CraneMohanram2000">{{cite book|author1=Ralph J. Crane|author2=Radhika Mohanram|title=Shifting Continents/colliding Cultures: Diaspora Writing of the Indian Subcontinent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ivbzM85pdkC&pg=PA106|year=2000|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=90-420-1271-4|pages=106, 115}}</ref>
|-
| 1997
| ''[[The God of Small Things]]''
| [[Arundhati Roy]]
| A lawyer named Sabu Thomas from [[Kerala]] filed an obscenity case against the author, claiming that Chapter 21 contains obscene scenes.<ref name=NovelistBang>{{cite news|title=A Novelist Beginning With a Bang|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/29/books/a-novelist-beginning-with-a-bang.html|accessdate=16 December 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=29 June 1997}}</ref>
|-
| 1998
| ''[[The Polyester Prince]]: The Rise of Dhirubhai Ambani''
| [[Hamish McDonald]]
| This unofficial biography of [[Dhirubhai Ambani]] never went to print because [[Harper Collins]] anticipated legal action from the Ambani family.<ref name=YouCant/><ref name=prince>{{cite news|title=The Prince made them wince|url=http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/sep/290910-mukesh-ambani-anil-ambani-feud-hamish-mcdonald.htm|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[Mid-Day]]|date=29 September 2010}}</ref>
|-
| 2000
| ''Towards Freedom''
| [[Sumit Sarkar]] and [[K. N. Panikkar]]
| The 10-volume history book project was halted by the [[Indian Council of Historical Research]] in early 2000, allegedly because it showed [[Hindu Mahasabha]] in a badlight. The project was revived in 2004.<ref name=TowardFreedom>{{cite news|title='Towards Freedom' project revived|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/21/stories/2004092115021100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204153039/http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/21/stories/2004092115021100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 February 2016|accessdate=11 December 2014|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=21 September 2004}}</ref>
|-
| 2001
| ''Holy Cow: Beef in Indian Dietary Traditions''
| [[Dwijendra Narayan Jha]]
| A preview of the book was posted on a website initially which triggered the controversy.<ref name=HolyCow1/><ref name=HolyCow2/> A spokesperson for the [[Vishwa Hindu Parishad]]<ref name=HolyCow1>{{cite news|title=Beef book sparks Hindu protest|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1482614.stm|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[BBC News]]|date=9 August 2001|author=Jyotsna Singh}}</ref> stated that the book was an attempt to insult [[Hindu]]s. The book allegedly said that beef was eaten by ancient Indians. The author received anonymous threat calls and had to be provided a police escort.<ref name=HolyCow2/><ref name=HolyCowStay/> A civil court in Andhra Pradesh put a temporary stay order on the book until verdict.<ref name=HolyCowStay>{{cite news|title=Book on beef-eating runs into trouble|url=http://www.hindu.com/2001/08/09/stories/0209000p.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109173935/http://www.hindu.com/2001/08/09/stories/0209000p.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 January 2014|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=8 August 2001}}</ref> [[Pushpesh Pant]]<ref name=HolyCow1/> supported the book by stating that the evidence exists in historical and mythological texts. The book is also known as ''The Myth of the Holy Cow''.<ref name=HolyCow2>{{cite news|title=Holy Cow a Myth? An Indian Finds The Kick Is Real|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/17/arts/17COW.html|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=17 August 2002|author=Emily Eakin}}</ref>
|-
| 2002
| ''[[Five Past Midnight in Bhopal]]''
| [[Dominique Lapierre]] and [[Javier Moro]]
| The book is a dramatized account of the [[Bhopal disaster]]. In 2002, Swaraj Puri filed a defamation suit against the authors worth 10 million USD. Puri, who was the [[police commissioner]] of Bhopal during the disaster is mentioned in the book.<ref name=Bhopal2>{{cite news|title=Court stops sale of book on Bhopal gas tragedy|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/1280773/report-court-stops-sale-of-book-on-bhopal-gas-tragedy|accessdate=11 August 2013|date=9 August 2009}}</ref><ref name=Bhopal1>{{cite news|title=Court restrains publishing of book|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/07/15/stories/2009071556320500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725034026/http://www.hindu.com/2009/07/15/stories/2009071556320500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 July 2009|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=15 July 2009}}</ref> In 2009, the court put an order to halt publication of the book.<ref name=Bhopal2/><ref name=Bhopal1/> But, the [[Madhya Pradesh High Court]] revoked the order later.<ref name=BhopalHC>{{cite news|title=MP HC stays ban on book 'Five Past Midnight in Bhopal'|url=http://www.indlawnews.com/newsdisplay.aspx?346c3ed4-4fed-467a-8c98-cc961bf49989|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=IndLaw News|date=10 October 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130811144507/http://www.indlawnews.com/newsdisplay.aspx?346c3ed4-4fed-467a-8c98-cc961bf49989|archivedate=11 August 2013}}</ref>
|-
| 2008
| ''The Lives of Sri Aurobindo''
| [[Peter Heehs]]
| On 5 November 2004, the [[Odisha High Court]] put a stay order on the release of the book, after a petition was filed.<ref name=heehs1>{{cite news|title=HC brakes on biography|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081106/jsp/nation/story_10067275.jsp|accessdate=10 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Telegraph (India)]]|date=5 November 2008}}</ref> The petitioner alleged that the book is blasphemous in nature and defamatory regarding [[Sri Aurobindo]]'s character.<ref name=heehs1/><ref name=heehs2>{{cite news |date=11 April 2008 |title=Orissa HC sets condition for release of Sri Aurobindo's biography |url=http://www.indlawnews.com/Newsdisplay.aspx?8e4d75b0-6318-4fa6-869e-d2e2347726e0 |newspaper=IndLaw News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109173928/http://www.indlawnews.com/Newsdisplay.aspx?8e4d75b0-6318-4fa6-869e-d2e2347726e0 |archive-date=9 January 2014 |accessdate=10 August 2013}}</ref>
|-
| 2010
| ''[[The Red Sari]] (El Sari Rojo)''
| [[Javier Moro]]
| The book was originally published in October 2010<ref name=sari1>{{cite news|title=Latest target for Congress censors: book on Sonia's life|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/latest-target-for-congress-censors-book-on-sonias-life/628265/0|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]|date=2 June 2010|author=Charmy Harikrishnan}}</ref> in Spanish. The book is a fictional<ref name=sari1/> novel allegedly based on [[Sonia Gandhi]]. Moro claimed that [[Indian National Congress Party|Congress]] lawyers and spokesperson [[Abhishek Singhvi]] had written to his publishers demanding them to withdraw the book from shops.<ref name=sari1/><ref name=sari2>{{cite news|title=Spanish writer threatens to sue Singhvi on Sonia book|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/spanish-writer-threatens-to-sue-singhvi-on-sonia-book/630126/0|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]|date=6 June 2010}}</ref> Abhishek Singhvi claimed that the book violated a person's privacy for monetary gain.<ref name=sari3>{{cite news|title=Congress hits back at Spanish author|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/73382/congress-hits-back-spanish-author.html|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[Deccan Herald]]|date=4 June 2010}}</ref> The book was finally released in India in January 2015.<ref name=RedSariNowOut>{{cite news|title=Controversial Sonia Gandhi book 'Red Sari' now out in India|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/controversial-sonia-gandhi-book-red-sari-now-out-in-india/articleshow/45901280.cms|accessdate=17 January 2015|work=[[The Economic Times]]|date=15 January 2015}}</ref>
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Such A Long Journey]]''
| [[Rohinton Mistry]]
| On 4 October 2010, this 1990 [[Booker Prize|Booker]] nominated book was removed from the Bachelor of Arts (English) syllabus of the [[Mumbai University]], after Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, the student-wing of the [[Shiv Sena]] protested. The book allegedly contained anti-Shiv Sena passages and remarks derogatory to Maharastrians.<ref name=Mistry2/><ref name=Mistry1>{{cite news|title=Rohinton Mistry's novel removed from syllabus|url=http://www.sify.com/news/rohinton-mistry-s-novel-removed-from-syllabus-news-national-kkerkebdgha.html|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[Sify.com]]|date=4 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108082445/http://www.sify.com/news/rohinton-mistry-s-novel-removed-from-syllabus-news-national-kkerkebdgha.html|archive-date=8 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The protests were led by [[Aditya Thackeray]].<ref name=Mistry2/> Mistry later expressed his dismay in an [[open letter]] to the university.<ref name=Mistry2>{{cite news|title=Rohinton Mistry protests withdrawal of book|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article838537.ece|accessdate=11 August 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=20 October 2010|author=Vinaya Deshpande}}</ref>
|-
| 2013
| ''Dhundi''
| Yogesh Master
| The author of the [[Kannada language|Kannada]] novel was arrested on 29 August 2013, after several Hindu organisations accused the book of containing objectionable material against the god [[Ganesha]]. The author was charged under [[Hate speech laws in India|Section 295 A and 298]] of the [[Indian Penal Code]].<ref name=dhundi>{{cite news|title=Author of Kannada novel Dhundi arrested|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/author-of-kannada-novel-dhundi-arrested/article5074797.ece|accessdate=31 October 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=30 August 2013}}</ref> The complaint was filed by [[Sri Ram Sene]] leader [[Pramod Muthalik]], and others.<ref name="dhundi pdf">{{cite news|title='Dhundi' author accused of sharing PDFs online|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/dhundi-author-accused-of-sharing-pdfs-online/article5207526.ece|accessdate=31 October 2013|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=7 October 2013}}</ref>
|-
| 2014
| ''Sahara: The Untold Story''
| [[Tamal Bandyopadhyay]]
| [[Sahara India Pariwar]] moved Calcutta High Court in December 2013 seeking a stay and filed a Rs. 2 billion defamation suit against the author. In January 2014, a stay order was issued by the court. In April, both the parties reached an out of court settlement following which the book was published with a disclaimer given by Sahara.<ref>{{cite news|title='Sahara withdraws case against Mint journalist's book'|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/sahara-withdraws-case-against-mint-journalist-s-book/article1-1212321.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426202111/http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/sahara-withdraws-case-against-mint-journalist-s-book/article1-1212321.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 April 2014|accessdate=26 April 2014}}</ref><ref name=sahara>{{cite news|title=Sahara gets stay on book release, files Rs 200-cr defamation suit against author|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/sahara-gets-stay-on-book-release-files-rs-200-cr-defamation-suit-against-author-114011400028_1.html|accessdate=21 July 2014|work=[[Business Standard]]|date=14 January 2014}}</ref>
|-
| 2014
| ''[[The Descent of Air India]]''
| Jitendra Bhargava
| The publisher, [[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury India]], agreed to withdraw all copies of the book, after former Aviation Minister [[Praful Patel]] filed a defamation suit in a Mumbai court. The publisher also issued a public apology.<ref name=airindia>{{cite news|title=Bloomsbury withdraws ex-AI official's book to save Praful 'embarrassment'|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/bloomsbury-withdraws-ex-ai-officials-book-to-save-praful-embarrassment/|accessdate=12 February 2014|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]|date=16 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Three-way tussle over 'The Descent of Air India'|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/threeway-tussle-over-the-descent-of-air-india/article5587187.ece|accessdate=12 February 2014|newspaper=[[Business Line]]|date=17 January 2014}}</ref>
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Madhorubhagan]] (One Part Woman)''
| [[Perumal Murugan]]
| The writer asked publishers to withdraw all his books from the market and announced that he was giving up writing on 13 January 2015.<ref name=PerumalGivesUp>{{cite news|title=Perumal Murugan gives up writing|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/perumal-murugan-gives-up-writing/article6784745.ece|accessdate=13 January 2015|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=13 January 2015}}</ref> The [[BJP]], [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]] and other Hindu groups had protested his book, and demanded its ban and his arrest. They had alleged that he had portrayed the Kailasanathar temple in [[Tiruchengode]] and its women devotees in bad light. The English translation of the book is known as ''One Part Woman''.<ref name=TamilNovelArrestAuthor>{{cite news|title=BJP, RSS seek ban on Tamil novel, arrest of author|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/bjp-rss-seek-ban-on-tamil-novel-arrest-of-author/article6729393.ece?ref=relatedNews|accessdate=13 January 2015|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=27 December 2014}}</ref>
|-
| 2015
| ''Korkai''
| [[Joe D'Cruz]]
| A complaint was filed against the author in June 2015 in a [[Thoothukudi]], Tamil Nadu court alleging the novel had portrayed fishermen, Christianity, priests and nuns in bad light.<ref name=joedcruz>{{cite news|title=Summons to writer Joe D' Cruz|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/summons-to-writer-joe-d-cruz/article7284124.ece|accessdate=6 June 2015|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=5 June 2015}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
* [[List of films banned in India]]
* [[Censorship in India]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Books}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Books banned in India}}
[[Category:Book censorship in India]]
[[Category:Indian literature-related lists]]
[[Category:India law-related lists]]
[[Category:Lists of prohibited books]]

IndianPedia - User contributions [en]

List of books banned in India