Kolkata HC questions Publishers Guild over denial of book fair stall to Vishwa Hindu Parishad

The Kolkata High Court has directed the Publishers and Booksellers Guild to clarify its decision to deny a stall to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad at the upcoming Kolkata Book Fair. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, through its lawyer Subir Sanyal, filed a petition after its application for a 600 square feet stall was not processed, despite following all conditions set by the Guild. The Guild had issued an advertisement with specific terms and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad submitted their request accordingly.

On January 10, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad sent an email to the Guild requesting an update on the status of the stall allocation. However, the Guild did not provide any response, prompting the organization to approach the court. The Guild’s reasoning for denying the stall was based on the content of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's publication, "Vishwa Hindu Barta," which they deemed sensitive and controversial. The Guild’s lawyer argued that such content could lead to potential controversy, and the Guild did not wish to take the risk of hosting such material at the Book Fair.

In the court proceedings, Justice Amrita Sinha questioned why the Guild had approved the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s participation in previous years, despite the sensitive nature of its content. She pointed out that the Guild had granted stalls to the organization in past years without objection. Justice Sinha sought clarity on why the Guild had suddenly decided to deny the stall this year and raised concerns over the lack of communication between the two parties.

The court has instructed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to finalize the location of their stall and inform the court by the following day. The next hearing of the case has been scheduled for January 20, where further proceedings and clarifications from the Guild will be discussed. The Publishers Guild is now under scrutiny for its handling of the stall allocation process and its communication with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.