The Calcutta High Court on Friday came down heavily on the Publishers and Booksellers Guild for not allowing Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) to set up a stall at the upcoming 48th International Kolkata Book Fair.
The book fair, which is Asia’s largest literary event, will be held from January 28 to February 9.
Justice Amrita Sinha said that VHP should be given space to set up a book stall at the fair and questioned why the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, the fair’s organiser, had not done the same this year.
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The VHP had sought permission from the organiser to set up a book stall at the book fair. However, the organisation did not get permission as the Guild claimed that the procedure was not followed properly due to changes in rules this year.
The Guild’s lawyer claimed in court that the VHP publishes ‘sensitive’ books and that the organisation did not have any publishing house. On the other hand, the VHP’s lawyer argued that Vishwa Hindu Barta is their organisation, and it had been setting up stalls at the book fair since 2011.
During the hearing, Justice Sinha told Guild, “For the past few years, permission has been given to that organisation. Why won’t it be given now? Why didn’t they tell us earlier what sensitive books they have published? They haven’t published sensitive books for so long, and now they are suddenly publishing sensitive books?”
The Guild’s lawyer said that some rules had changed at the book fair this year and hence, permission was not given.
Justice Sinha then countered, “You don’t have any statutory rules, the rules that have changed. Why did you give permission for so many years? You are making your own rules as you please.”
She ordered the Guild to provide space for the VHP to set up a book stall at the fair and sought for an update on the same in the next hearing on January 20 (Monday).
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