Delhi court refuses to stop publication, sale of Salman Khurshid’s new book

The court, while dismissing a plea filed by Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta, said "an injunction would curtail the right of speech and expression of the author".

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid during the launch of his book 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times'. (File Photo/PTI)

A Delhi court Wednesday refused to stop the publication, sale or circulation of former Union Minister Salman Khurshid’s new book ‘Sunrise Over Ayodhya’, while dismissing a plea filed by Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta.

Additional Civil Judge Preeti Parewa, while refusing to grant the ad-interim ex-parte injunction, said that the plaintiff had failed to establish the balance of convenience in his favour, therefore declining the grant of the interim relief.

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“Furthermore, the defendant…herein has the right to write/publish the book. The plaintiff has not been able to establish that inconvenience will be caused to him to avoid the book or alleged offensive excerpts of the book. On the other hand, an injunction would lead to hardship for the publishers and also curtail the right of speech and expression of the author,” the court said.

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It added that the “plaintiff can always propagate against the book and can even publish rebuttals to the alleged paragraphs which have hurt his sentiments”. “Also, only a copy of excerpt has been placed on record and such excerpt cannot be read in exclusion/isolation for interpreting the context in which the said statement has been made,” the order stated.

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