New Delhi: A day after a Russian court
rejected the petition to ban Bhagwad Gita, Government on Thursday
said its observation that the petitioner has not gone through
the original text of the holy scripture has been vindicated.
"Yesterday, I received information from the Foreign
Secretary that the higher court, in which the case was being
heard, have rejected the petition and clearly demonstrated
that even those who filed the petition and made comments, did
not go through the original text of the language," Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee informed Lok Sabha.
Minutes before the Winter Session of the Lok Sabha was
adjourned sine die, Mukherjee, who is also leader of the
House, said the petitioners "depended on the translation of
somebody" and basis of that came to "some erroneous
conclusions".
Recalling the agitation in the House over the issue, he
said External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, while responding
to the queries, had stated that "it was absurd and his
observations have been vindicated by the judgment of the
Russian court."
Mukherjee's statement came a day after India termed as
"sensible resolution" of a sensitive issue the rejection of
the petition by the Russian court and said it was glad to "put
this episode behind us."
The Russian court yesterday rejected a petition that
sought a ban on a translated version of Bhagwad Gita.
Prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk had argued that
the Russian translation of "Bhagwad Gita As It Is" promotes
"social discord" and hatred towards non-believers.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, December 29, 2011, 19:45