SC says craftsmanship of author needs to be respected, dismisses plea over "Meesha"

The Supreme Court Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking to ban the book 'Meesha' for allegedly depicting Hindu women visiting temples in a derogatory light, saying "craftsmanship of a writer deserves to be respected".

A bench headed by Chief justice Dipak Misra said a book must not be read in a "fragmented manner" but as a whole.

"Subjective perception about a book should not be allowed to enter the legal arena with regard to censorship," the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said.

The bench also said that the writer should be allowed to play with words like a painter who plays with color.

The apex court's order came on a plea by Delhi resident N Radhakrishnan, who had sought to omit excerpts from the Malayalam novel 'Meesha' (mustache) written by S Hareesh.

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