The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has granted the Centre more than a month’s additional time to respond to petitions challenging the forfeiture of 25 Kashmir-related books.In an order dated February 11, the Court noted that objections from one of the respondents remain pending.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justices Rajnesh Oswal and Shahzad Azeem observed that while the union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has filed its response and the petitioners have submitted a rejoinder, respondent No. 3 (the union of India) has not filed its reply despite being granted the opportunity.
The Court ruled that there was little justification to defer proceedings further, but accepted the request of the respondents’ senior counsel, who undertook to file objections before the next hearing and provide an advance copy to the petitioners’ counsel.
The matter has now been listed for further hearing on March 25, 2026.
In December last year, the High Court had adjourned hearings on the petitions after observing that both the J&K government and the Centre failed to file their objections despite being granted sufficient opportunity.
The petitions challenge the legality and constitutional validity of a notification issued by the Home Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and published in the Official Gazette on August 5, 2025 (S.O. 203), declaring 25 listed books forfeited on the grounds that they contain material “prejudicial to the security of the State and public order.”
The forfeited works include titles by authors such as Arundhati Roy, A G Noorani, Sumantra Bose, David Devadas and Anuradha Bhasin. The list also includes works by Islamic scholars Hasan al-Banna and Abul A’la Maududi.
The petitions have been filed by retired Air Vice-Marshal Kapil Kak, Wajahat Habibullah, Dr. Sumantra Bose, David Devadas, Shakir Shabir and others. They contend that the impugned notification was issued in violation of statutory safeguards and constitutional guarantees.
