Madras HC refuses to ban book

CHENNAI: Upholding the freedom of expression, a bench of the Madras High Court refused to ban 'Madhorubhagan,' a fictional work by Perumal Murugan, an associate professor from Tiruchengode. Delivering the 134- page judgment, Chief Justice SK Kaul and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana termed the state's attempt to resolve the issue by gagging the author as "akin to katta panchayats". "The choice to read is always with the reader. If you do not like a book, throw it away. There is no compulsion to read a book. Literary tastes may vary- what is right and acceptable to one may not be so to others. Yet, the right to write is unhindered," the verdict said. The book was dragged into controversy certain descriptions of events in Tiruchengode which was found objectionable by several sections of the local community.