J&K High Court Issues Notice in 25-Books Ban Case; Final Hearing Scheduled for Dec 4
Full Bench to Hear Petitions Challenging J&K Government’s August Order Banning Books Allegedly Promoting Secessionism
Srinagar, Oct 13: The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court’s three-judge Full Bench on Monday issued notices in a batch of petitions challenging the government’s decision to ban 25 books for allegedly promoting “false narratives and secessionism.” The court has scheduled the final hearing for December 4.
The special bench, comprising Chief Justice, Justice Rajnesh Oswal, and Justice Shahzad Azeem, convened at the Srinagar wing to examine petitions filed by journalist David Devadas, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, retired Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, advocate Shakir Shabir, researcher Swastik Singh, and others.
The petitions contest the August 5 order of the J&K Home Department, issued under Section 95 of the CrPC, which banned the publication and circulation of books, including works by Arundhati Roy, A.G. Noorani, Sumantra Bose, Anuradha Bhasin, and others, citing concerns of propagating secessionist ideas.
Advocate Vrinda Grover, representing some of the petitioners, stated, “The court has issued notices today and fixed December 4 for final hearing and arguments. The bench has shown urgency and intent to resolve this matter.”
Advocates appearing for the petitioners included Mehraj-ud-Din Bhat (David Devadas), Syed Nazarat Fatima Sheikh and Mohammad Faisal (Tarigami), Vrinda Grover, Adil Pandit, Soutik Banerjee, Devika Tulsiani (Kapil Kak and others), Rajiv Shakdher, Shuja ul Haq, Adeel Ahmed (Swastik Singh), while Shakir Shabir represented himself.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the petitioners to approach the J&K and Ladakh High Court, leading to the constitution of the Full Bench on September 30.
The banned books include political analyses and historical accounts such as The Kashmir Dispute 1947-2012 by A.G. Noorani, Kashmir at the Crossroads and Contested Lands by Sumantra Bose, In Search of a Future: The Kashmir Story by David Devadas, Arundhati Roy’s Azadi, and Anuradha Bhasin’s A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir After Article 370.
