On Tuesday, 22nd November 2022, the Additional City Civil and Sessions court in Bangalore stayed the distribution and sale of a book on Tipu Sultan responding to a petition filed by the former Chairman of the District Wakf Board Committee. The petition was filed claiming that the book propagates wrong information about Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century Islamic ruler of the erstwhile Mysore province.
The book, “Tipu Nija Kanasugalu” (Real Dreams of Tipu), authored by Rangayana director Addanda C. Cariappa, is prohibited from being sold by the author, publisher Ayodhya Publication, and printer Rashtrotthana Mudranalaya until December 3, according to the court order.
The court said in its order, ”The Defendant No.1 to 3 and the persons and the agents claiming through or under them are restrained by way of temporary injunction from distributing and also selling including on-line platform, the book by name “Tippu Nija Kanasugalu” written in Kannada language.”
It further said, “This order of injunction will not come in the way of the defendants from printing the said books at their risk and storing the books which are already printed.”
Former District Wakf Board Committee Chairman BS Rafiulla filed a lawsuit, alleging that the book includes incorrect data about Tipu Sultan without any historical foundation or justification. Additionally, he said that the word “turukaru,” which appears in the book, is an insult to the Muslim community. He argued that the book’s release would lead to turbulence and social upheaval, upsetting overall public tranquillity.
The petitioner also claimed that the author didn’t include sources of information contained in the book. The petitioner said that the the author of foreword of the book and the book’s author claim that the content is based on truth and accurate history, and he claimed that this claim is wrong. The author has claimed that the book is based on research and is published with the intention to unveil the truth about Tipu Sultan. The book also says that what is taught about Tipu Sultan in schools is wrong.
BS Rafiulla contended that the author published the book without any knowledge about the history and based on his own interpretation of facts.
Considering the arguments of the petitioner, the Court ruled, “If the contents of the book are false and it contains false information about Tipu Sultan, and if the same information is distributed, it would cause irreparable loss to the plaintiff and there are chances of breach of communal peace and harmony.”
The court also observed, “If the book is circulated pending the appearance of the defendants, the purpose of the application itself would be defeated. It is common knowledge that controversial books sell like hotcakes. Therefore, at this stage, the balance of convenience is in favour of the plaintiff in granting the order of injunction.”
It is notable that the Islamic ruler Tipu Sultan is hailed as a freedom fighter by so-called seculars and many Muslims. Tipu Sultan is painted as the one who struggled against the British. But, the anti-Hindu Islamic barbarian acts of the 18th-century tyrant are not too old to be forgotten. This fact lands the Islamists in the middle of a controversy that keeps arising time and again.
