New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday a plea that seeks to ban excerpts of a Malayalam novel "Meesha" due to its alleged derogatory content on women that may hurt their sentiments.
A bench headed by the Chief Justice Dipak Misra agreed to hear the matter on Thursday after lawyer Usha Nandani mentioned the matter Wednesday for an early hearing.
Petitioner Radhakrishnan has sought the banning of the publication or circulation by internet or propagation of that part of the novel that he alleged was derogatory to women.
Authored by Kerala Sahitya Akademi award winning writer S Harish's maiden novel "Meesha" is set to release in book format on Wednesday.
Nandani later said that the excerpts of the controversial novel were published by a largely circulated Malayalam daily but it stopped further publication following protest by the people.
Read more: 'Meesa' author Hareesh vows to keep mum
S Hareesh withdrew the novel from the weekly after a portion of it drew harsh criticism and threats from Hindutva followers. 'Meesha' is the first novel by Hareesh, who has won several awards including the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award for best short story writer in 2018.
Hareesh said he took the decision following unbearable threats from certain organisations and their followers. The abusers were provoked by a dialogue by a character about women's intentions behind visiting temples. Hareesh had earlier in a Facebook post said that he would file a complaint against those who post abusive comments against his wife and spread her photo online.