Over the years, India has prohibited the circulation/sale of several titles for reasons such as controversial theme, political commentary, or offending religious sentiments. Here are 12 such cases...
The Face of Mother India
In 1936, the authorities were forced to ban American historian Katherine Mayo’s The Face of Mother India as it was unpretendingly Indophobic (Mahatma Gandhi felt so too), racist and pro-imperial.
The Satanic Verses
Salman Rushdie's 4th book was banned in India in 1988 for its blasphemous content.
Understanding Islam Through Hadis: Religious Faith Or Fanaticism?
The title of thinker Ram Swarup Agarwal's 1982 book says it all... Fearing that it might trigger riots, the government promptly banned the book.
Nine Hours To Rama
Published in 1962, Stanley Wolpert dramatises the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and points out security lapses. The narrative delves into the mind and motives of Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s assassin.
The Polyester Prince
Aussie journo Hamish McDonald's investigative biography of Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of Reliance Industries, was banned because of its scandalous and slanderous content.
The Hindus: An Alternative History
A lawsuit was filed by right-wing Hindu groups, who argued that Wendy Doniger's book hurt religious sentiments and misrepresented Hindu culture, and publisher Penguin withdrew the book from circulation and agreed to pulp unsold copies.
Lolita
Technically not banned, imported copies of Vladimir Nabokov's work were held at customs in 1959 for their obscene content. It was only after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's intervention that the customs released the book for readers in India.
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown's mystery thriller was not allowed to enter Nagaland in 2006, following protests from Christian groups who were offended by its portrayal of Christianity.
An Area of Darkness: His Discovery Of India
VS Naipaul's volume on India faced a ban in 1964 for its critical and often unflattering portrayal of Indian society and culture. The ban was lifted later.
Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India
The Maharashtra government objected to James W Laine's biography for containing “material promoting social enmity” and banned it. However, the Supreme Court of India lifted the ban.
Lajja
Taslima Nasrin's novel, whose title translates as shame, was banned in West Bengal due to law and order concerns. Taslima is a Bangladeshi writer who is a refugee in India. Her book was about what a Hindu family faced post-Babri Masji demolition in her country.
The Price of Power: Kissinger In The Nixon White House
Banned because its author Seymour Hersh suggested late prime minister Morarji Desai was a CIA informant in 1983, the ban was lifted later.