SC refuses to ban Malayalam novel Meesha, says books can’t be read in fragmented manner

New Delhi, Sep 5: The Supreme Court has rejected a petition that sought a ban on the book Meesha. The court said that books cannot be read in a fragmented manner.

A petition had been filed seeking a ban on the book on the ground that it depicted priests and young girls in a controversial manner. The Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra observed that imagination of a writer must enjoy freedom.

The Bench also said that the imagination of a writer cannot be ordered to be fashioned in a particular manner. Further Bench said that craftsmanship of a writer needs to be respective. A person's subjective perception of a novel or work of fiction cannot enter the legal arena to seek its ban.

The petitioner had sought a ban on certain excerpts in the Malayalam novel Meesha. The petitioner has objected to a dialogue between two characters in the novel, which allegedly insults Hindu women. He has also alleged that comments of the author about Brahmins amounted to casteist or racial slur. To this, Justice Chadrachud said such kind of stuff should not be given undue importance in this age of the Internet.