India welcomes Russian court's decision to dismiss petition seeking ban on Bhagvad Gita

New Delhi, Mar 21 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday welcomed the decision of a Russian court to dismiss an appeal for ban on 'Bhagvad Gita as it is'.

"We are happy to learn that the Hon'ble District Court in Tomsk, Siberia in the Russian Federation has dismissed the appeal made by the local Procurator while upholding the verdict of the lower court in the legal case concerning the publication 'Bhagvad Gita as it is'," said MEA official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin in response to a question.

"We welcome the decision of the Hon'ble District court and appreciate the efforts of all friends in Russia who made this outcome possible," he added.

A Russian court on Wednesday dismissed the petition, which sought to ban Bhagvad Gita considering it to be of extremist nature.

The court in Siberian city of Tomsk dismissed the plea of state prosecutors against the lower court's dismissal of their original plea seeking a ban on "Bhagavad Gita As It Is", written by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

Reports on a ban on Bhagvad Gita in Russia had created a huge uproar in Parliament earlier, as several members condemned the move and asked the Central Government to take prompt measures in this regard.

The case filed by state prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk stated that the translated version of the Bhagvad Gita was extremist and would create a divide among the people of different beliefs. (ANI)