High Court seeks response from Pranab Mukherjee for deleting some portion of his book for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments.

The Delhi High Court Friday sought a response from former President Pranab Mukherjee on a plea seeking deletion of some portions of his 2016 book for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments. Justice Pratibha M Singh issued a notice to the former President and listed the matter for further hearing on July 30.

The appeal in the high court was filed against the lower court’s order of November 30, 2016 rejecting the plea seeking deletion of certain contents from the book ‘Turbulent Years 1980-1996′.

The suit in the trial court was filed by a social worker — U C Pandey — and a group of lawyers objecting to certain references in the book regarding the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992. They had contended that it allegedly hurt the



sentiments of the Hindus.

The counsel appearing for the plaintiffs argued that the lower court wrongly dismissed the suit on the ground that there was no cause of action.

He contended before the high court that there was the cause of action when the book was published and also after September 5, 2016, when the two-month notice issued by the plaintiffs for deletion of portions of the book had expired.

The plaintiffs’ advocates had claimed before the trial court that a civil suit can be filed against the President during his tenure in respect of any act done by him in his “personal capacity.”

The President’s counsel, however, had opposed the plea before the trial court and said it was not maintainable.