Maharashtra to curb scurrilous writing

Members of Opposition parties, including Shiv Sena, the BJP and the MNS sit in protest against James Laine's book on Shivaji, outside the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Monday.

The Maharashtra government will soon bring in a law to punish people for writing offensively against caste or religion, and also ensure that the State's icons are not the subject of defamation, Home Minister R.R. Patil said in the Assembly on Monday.

The House unanimously passed a resolution, he moved, condemning author James Laine and his work Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India , for its remarks against the mother of the Maratha ruler.

The new law would be introduced in the next session, Mr. Patil said replying to a discussion on the Laine issue, which was raised by the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena.

Mr. Patil said there were no special laws to deal with such issues though there is Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, etc.) He said the Tamil Nadu government had a provision in this regard, and the three-member committee, headed by the Advocate-General, would look into the matter. He said the issue of social enmity was not properly defined in the State's case and the Supreme Court was not convinced how Laine's book would cause enmity between two communities. Since last week tempers have running high in the State after the Supreme Court refused to agree to a ban on the book.

No more reprint: OUP

In another development, Mr. Patil read out a faxed letter from the Oxford University Press, saying it would not freshly print Laine's book and that the publishing house did not want to hurt the sentiments of any section.

The book was withdrawn in 2003 and since it was published in July that year there have been no copies. The published copies were submitted to various courts.

Mr. Patil said Laine had submitted to the Supreme Court that pages which contained the offending sections would be removed from the book. As the publisher had now given an undertaking, the chances of the book being sold anywhere were remote.

Protests, adjournments

The monsoon session opened with protests and adjournments on the Laine issue and the border dispute with Karnataka. Business was suspended except for condolence motions, and Speaker Dilip Walse Patil allowed a discussion after Chief Minister Ashok Chavan too said he had no problems with discussing the issue, which touched everyone in the State.

Before Mr. Patil's reply, the House was repeatedly adjourned following remarks by Jitendra Avhad (NCP) which were, however, expunged. He later apologised for his statement.