NEW DELHI: A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to stop the circulation, sale, purchase and publication of the book "Sunrise over Ayodhya" written by Congress leader Salman Khurshid.
According to the petition, in his book, Khurshid has compared Hindutva to radical jihadist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram. It also cited a chapter from the book.
"The chapter called 'The Saffron Sky' at Page 113 of the book reads as under - "Sanatan dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints was being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to jihadist Islam of groups likes ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years," the petition stated.
The petition claimed that Khurshid being a member of Parliament and former law minister is a public figure and has a larger influence on the public. It said that the statement made in the book is agitating the Hindu community and also threatens the security, peace and harmony of our nation and disrupts public order.
It further claimed that the freedom of speech and expression is broadly understood as the notion that every person has the natural right to freely express themselves through any media and frontier without outside interference, such as censorship, and without fear of reprisal, such as threats and persecutions.
"The freedom of expression is a complex right. This is because the freedom of expression is not absolute and carries with it special duties and responsibilities. Therefore, it may be subject to certain restrictions provided by the law," said the petition.