India hails dismissal of plea for ban on Bhagavad Gita's translation

India on wednesday welcomed the dismissal of a petition seeking a ban on a translated version of Bhagavad Gita, saying it appreciated the efforts of all friends in Russia who made this outcome possible.

"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’.

"We welcome the decision of the Hon’ble District court and appreciate the efforts of all friends in Russia who made this outcome possible," official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said here.

A Russian court has dismissed a petition seeking a ban on a translated version of Bhagavad Gita for being "extremist", an issue which threatened to strain Indo-Russia ties.

State prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk had filed an appeal against a lower court's dismissal of their original plea seeking a ban on Bhagavad Gita As It Is, written by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

They had claimed that the text was "extremist" literature full of hatred and insult to non-believers which promoted social discord.