Earlier in the week, a court in New Delhi made a decision in a case that was filed five years ago, where the then government's decision to ban the import of the novel was questioned.
According to the Indian news agency PTI, the court believes that the authorities have failed to produce documentation that supports the ban.
"We have no other alternative than to assume that such a document does not exist", the court states.
Free to import
The man who filed the lawsuit, Sandipan Khan, claims that he has not been able to buy the book due to a document issued by the Indian customs authority on October 5, 1988 – only a week after "The Satanic Verses" was published.
The document banned the import of the book to India, but Khan has not been able to find the issuance on any official website or through government officials.
His lawyer, Uddyam Mukherjee, tells AP that the court's decision means that there is currently no obstacle to importing the novel to India.
But whether it means that it will be sold in bookstores, I do not know, it depends on the publishers and retailers.
Death sentence issued
"The Satanic Verses" was published in the autumn of 1988 and is partially inspired by the life of Prophet Mohammed. The book sparked outrage in parts of the Muslim world and in February 1989, Iran's highest religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa against Rushdie and offered a reward to anyone who killed him.
In August 2022, the Indian-British author was attacked during a performance in the state of New York by a man from the audience and received over a dozen stab wounds.
