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Journalism of Courage
Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily said today that the government has no reason to ban the book on Mahatma Gandhi by Joseph Lelyveld since the author has clarified that he has not written what has been attributed to the book.
Speaking to mediapersons here,Moily said: The author has said that it is the interpretation of the reviewer and that he hasnt written anything of the kind. Hence there is no question of banning the book now.
Lelyvelds Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and his Struggle with India had generated controversy over its alleged comments regarding Gandhis sexuality. But Lelyveld said his work is not sensationalist,and is based on material that is already published and available in the National Archives of India,according to a PTI report from London.
This is not a sensationalist book. I did not say Gandhi had a male lover. I said he lived with a man who was an architect as well as a bodybuilder for nearly four years. The letters are part of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (Volume 96,to be precise) published by the Government of India. They are in the Indian National Archive. That particular volume was first published in 1994. In other words,the material I used contains no news, said Lelyveld.
Meanwhile,Moily said the government was planning to bring the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill in the monsoon session of Parliament. He added that the proposed National Judicial Service will take care of backlog in filling up posts of district judges. With PTI
