MPCC demands revocation of pre-approval order
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 24 2022: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has appealed to the State Govern-ment to revoke the order issued on September 15 which made it mandatory for any publisher/author to obtain prior approval from the Government before publishing any book.

Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan here today, MPCC vice-president and spokesman Hareshwar Goswami said that the Government's order for obtaining prior approval before publishing any book seemed to be connected with the claim that the area of Manipur valley was just 700 sq miles at the time of Manipur's merger into the Indian Union.

It looks like the Government was waiting for an opportunity to censure all books and other publications, Hareshwar remarked.

He said that publication of a book involves publishing house, publisher, CrPC, IPC, Press and Registration of Books Act 1867 and none of these can be skipped.

If any book or published work challenges the integrity of the country, the same book/work is banned under the Press and Registration of Books Act 1867 .

There should be a catalogue of all published books as per the Act.

However, it is not clear whether the State Government maintains any catalogue of published books, he said.

The order issued on September 15 which makes prior approval mandatory before publishing any book is like killing flies with a sledgehammer, the MPCC vice-president remarked.

Asking whether the Government is unaware of the fact that a book can be banned after it is published, he pointed out that the publisher/author can be pena- lised as per the Press and Registration of Books Act if there are reasonable grounds.

There have been many constitutional and unconstitutional changes since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister.

Replacement of Vice Chancellors of many universities, gagging of university teachers and intellectuals and creating a fear psychosis among scholars are all traits of fascism, Hareshwar Goswami asserted.

By launching the National Elementary Education Mission, the Modi Government has turned the history syllabus upside down.

A chapter on Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya who was never mentioned in the National movement has been incorporated in the history syllabus.

They have been manipulating and distorting history to promote their propaganda that it was their leaders who led the freedom movement, he remarked.

In the same vein, the State Government, taking advantage of a particular blunder, issued an order to censure all books.

One cannot help asking if the particular order is aimed at muffling those writers/authors whose ideas do not conform with the ideas of the ruling dispensation, the MPCC spokesman said.

Writing a book requires huge efforts including collection of data and information.

Now, as per the order issued on September 15, the manuscript of any book must be submitted to the Education Director for obtaining approval.

Moreover, the manuscript would be produced at a board meeting before it is granted approval for publication.

All these processes would take a lot of time and one is not sure how safe the manuscripts would be and the data they contain after they are submitted to Government offices, he said.

The order issued by the Government says that punitive action would be initiated if any book is found published without prior approval, he noted.

The MPCC spokesman then asked what kind of punishment would be given to authors/publishers for publishing books without prior approval and under what legislation.

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