LITERARY FREEDOM (MEESHA CONTROVERSY)

Book:

• Meesha is a controversial Malayalam novel written by S. Harish.
  
  
• It was published in Mathrubhumi Weekly. After three episodes, Harish withdrew the novel after protests from Hindu organizations
  
  
• Petitioner N Radhakrishnan had initially demanded a ban on the book. Subsequently, he requested that the “objectionable” portions be removed.
  
  

Arguments given by Supreme court while rejecting the plea to ban it:

• The language used in the book are not even remotely obscene and derogatory to women.
  
  
• The culture of banning books directly impacts free flow of ideas, creates danger to intellectual freedom thereby gradually resulting in ‘intellectual cowardice’ and is an insult to freedom of speech, thought and expression.
  
  
• We do not live in a totalitarian regime but a democratic nation that permits free exchange of ideas and liberty of thought and expression.
  
  
• Before imposing any restriction, the court should see whether there it is really comes under the sweep of Article 19(2) of the Constitution.