Author used ‘ghati’ to spread message of secularism: Bombay HC

The use of word ‘ghati’ in the novel Breathless in Bombay actually spreads message of secularism, the Bombay high court recently ruled.

The author of the book, Murzban Shroff, was facing a criminal case for using the slang word ‘ghati’ for Maharashtrians in his debut novel.

The high court on June 22 quashed the case against him.
In a 35-pages detailed judgment released on Thursday, justice VM Kanade observed: “At all times, the word ghati has been uttered by the villain. At the end of the story, the hero reprimands him for doing so. He explains to the villain that there is secular unity in our country. In no way has the use of the word affected the integrity of our country.

 “The use of the word ghati is doltish rather than illiterate. And such a word is used only during conversation, as dialogue. On the contrary, it is seen that the writer has given the message of unity from the view point of secularism.”

The judgment said the complainant had read only the portion of the work which he found objectionable, and therefore found the action of the writer to be offensive. “If the story is read as a whole it is seen that there is no substance in the complaint,” it said.
The court also appreciated the manner in which the police had investigated the case.

Representing Shroff, advocate Mihir Desai argued that there was no obligation made out on part of the author when he used that particular word in his book.

Earlier, the court had observed: “In India, we have a tradition of one community saying something against another. It cannot be construed as offensive, it is our culture. It certainly does not become a criminal offence.”

In February 2009, activist Vijay Murdas filed an FIR against Shroff objecting to the one of the book’s 14 short stories, House of Mine. The story revolves around the occupants of a society facing an eviction notice from the housing board, and refers to Maharashtrians as ghatis.

Shroff then approached high court for quashing of the FIR.