Sujato Bhadra vs State Of West Bengal on 22 September, 2005
On the other hand, the statute, the offending passage has to be read strictly in the sense within which, as discussed above, the question is to be looked at. Mr. Roy then relied on the decision in N. Veera Brahmam v. State of Andhra Pradesh, , wherein it was held that the point remains whether forfeiture should be confined to the parts of the book in question. All that is necessary is that the book should contain matter, which is deliberately and maliciously intended to outrage the religion or religious beliefs etc. It does not require that each and every part of the book should in itself be of the nature indicated in that section. It is difficult to accede to the theory that only such parts of the book as would offer insults that should be extracted from the writing and forfeited. The principle is well-established. The passage, if found offensive, not the part, but the whole book is to be proscribed. In order to do that the book has to be read as a whole and cannot be read in piecemeal. The offending passage cannot be read out of the context or the central theme of the book.