Indian top court rejects plea against Arundhati Roy’s book, calls it ‘publicity litigation’
New Delhi: The Indian Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking a ban on the sale, circulation and display of renowned author Arundhati Roy’s book, ‘Mother Mary Comes to Me’, terming the plea a “publicity litigation”.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi rejected petitioner Rajasimhan’s appeal against the Kerala High Court’s earlier decision dismissing his PIL. The court observed, “This is not an advertisement. You may disagree with the views of the author, but that does not mean such a case can lie”.
The petitioner had alleged that the book’s cover, featuring an image of Arundhati Roy smoking, violated provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003. However, the Bench noted that Roy had not promoted smoking in any manner and that the readership of her book was restricted to those who would buy and read it.
The court also cautioned the petitioner against filing such petitions just for publicity, stressing that Roy’s literary work did not constitute any violation of Section 5 of the Act. “She is a renowned author. She has not promoted such a thing. There is a warning in the book, and she is a prominent person as well. Why do such a thing for publicity?,” the CJI remarked.
