India’s ban on Salman Rushdie ‘The Satanic Verses’ may end — thanks to missing paperwork

Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — The decadeslong ban of Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” in his native India is now in doubt. That’s not because of a change of heart more than two years after the author’s near-fatal stabbing, but because of what amounts to some missing paperwork. Earlier this week, a court in Delhi closed proceedings on a petition filed five years ago that challenged the then-government’s decision to ban the import of the 1988 novel. “The Satanic Verses” had enraged Muslims worldwide because of its alleged blasphemy. In a ruling issued Tuesday, judges contended that authorities had failed to produce the notification of the ban. The petitioner’s lawyer says his client was motivated by being an avid reader.