The Ahmedabad civil court has dismissed a suit filed to seek a ban on a Gujarati satirical book Feku Ji Have Delhi Ma (Feku is now in Delhi), which mocks the tall promises and claims Prime Minister Narendra Modi made during his campaigning for the 2014 parliamentary polls.
During the polls, opponents of Mr. Modi had called him feku (boastful) while deriding his claims.
The court held that the book contains the personal opinion of its author Jayesh Shah; so banning it would violate his right to freedom of expression.
Petitioner Narsinhbhai Solanki contended that the book “offended and hurt his sentiments and its derogatory title also defamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Mr. Solanki made the Prime Minister a respondent in the suit in which he objected to the sale of the book in Gujarat and elsewhere.
He also submitted that the book was meant to deride and defame the Prime Minister, while criticising his government which came to power only two years back. The plaintiff’s main objection was to the ‘defamatory and derogatory’ portrayal of the Prime Minister.
However, civil court judge A.M. Dave held that the book did not pose a threat to the unity and sovereignty of the country, which is a valid ground for imposing a ban on its sale and publication. The judge dismissed the suit while refusing to restrain the author and publisher from selling the book.
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