Being Well-Read a Crime Now: Twitter on HC’s ‘War & Peace’ Comment

The Pune Police, probing the case, claimed that the book was part of the “highly incriminating evidence” they found.

People took to Twitter to express their disbelief at Bombay HC’s statement about Leo Tolstoy’s novel ‘War and Peace’.

(Photo: Amazon.in/Altered by The Quint)

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday, 28 August asked Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case accused Vernon Gonsalves to explain why he kept "objectionable material" like a copy of Leo Tolstoy's ‘War and Peace’ and some CDs at his home, PTI reported.

A single-judge bench of Justice Sarang Kotwal hearing the bail plea of Gonsalves and others also said that “such books” and CDs prima facie indicated they contained some material against the State.

The Pune Police probing the case claimed that the book was part of the "highly incriminating evidence" it had seized from Gonsalves' house in Mumbai during raids conducted a year ago.

People took to Twitter to express their disbelief at Bombay HC’s statement, with many questioning the outlook of the judge and why it was necessary to be concerned about what books a person had in their house.

‘Judge Must be Shakha Educated’

Some people questioned the court and whether the judge or the police in question had ever ventured to read the novel.

One Twitter user pointed out that the novel is actually taught in colleges.

While one person questioned how people would retain their faith in the Indian Judicial System now, another asked whether being well read had now become a crime.

‘Does This Logic Apply to Harry Potter Books Too?’

Some Twitter users took a humorous route to deal with the HC’s statement.

One Twitter user expressed mock distress and asked whether people were interested in buying his copy of War and Peace.

Another Twitter user suggested that Tolstoy himself should have been chargesheeted as well.

(With inputs from PTI.)