India has ended the three-decade ban on Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel, The Satanic Verses. On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court declared that the government could not furnish any official documentation of the initial order prohibiting the book's import, describing the order as "untraceable."

The case was initiated by reader Sandipan Khan, who encountered difficulty finding evidence of the ban on government websites after being informed that the novel could neither be sold nor imported into India. Despite searching for official records, Khan could not locate any confirmation of the ban's presence.

In its decision, the court remarked, "We have no other option except to presume that no such notification exists," highlighting that even the customs official purportedly responsible for the ban could not provide a copy.

Published in 1988, The Satanic Verses generated immediate controversy, especially among Muslim communities, due to its depiction of Prophet Muhammad. The book was banned in several countries, but this recent ruling in India signifies the end of its long-standing import restriction.