Srinagar, Oct 13: The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court’s three-judge Full Bench on Monday issued a notice while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the government’s decision to ban 25 books alleged to promote “false narratives and secessionism.” The court has listed the matter for final hearing on December 4.
The special bench, comprising Chief Justice, Justice Rajnesh Oswal, and Justice Shahzad Azeem, convened at the Srinagar wing of the High Court to consider petitions filed by journalist David Devadas, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, retired Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, advocate Shakir Shabir, and researcher Swastik Singh, among others.
The petitions challenge the Home Department’s August 5 order issued under Section 95 of the CrPC, which forfeited and banned the publication and circulation of 25 books, including works by Arundhati Roy, A.G. Noorani, Sumantra Bose, and Anuradha Bhasin, on grounds of “propagating secessionism.”
Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for one of the petitioners, said the bench’s decision to issue notice marks “the first step in commencing the case.” She added that the court had shown urgency and intent to hear the matter finally.
The legal team included Advocate Mehraj-ud-Din Bhat for Devadas; Advocates Syed Nazarat Fatima Sheikh and Mohammad Faisal for Tarigami; Vrinda Grover, Adil Pandit, Soutik Banerjee, and Devika Tulsiani for Kapil Kak and others; Rajiv Shakdher, Shuja ul Haq, and Adeel Ahmed for Swastik Singh; and Shakir Shabir, who represented himself.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the petitioners to move the J&K and Ladakh High Court, leading to the formation of the Full Bench on September 30.
On August 5, the J&K Home Department banned 25 books on Kashmir, citing their content as “secessionist.” The list includes 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, Azadi by Arundhati Roy, and A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir After Article 370 by Anuradha Bhasin. (Agencies)
