The Madras High Court quashed a criminal case against Tamil writer Perumal Murugan for allegedly offending religious sentiments with writings on caste on Tuesday. A plea moved by residents of his native town, Tiruchengode to initiate criminal proceedings against him was also dismissed.
Also read: 'If you don't like a book, throw it away': Madras HC's fantastic order on Perumal Murugan
In January 2015, he announced that he is giving up writing after he came under attack for blasphemy from Hindutva for his novel Madhurobhagan which was first published in 2010. Madhorubhagan has been translated and published in English as 'One Part Woman'.
The protests by Hindu and caste-based outfits have focused on the portrayal of historical traditions related to the noted Ardhanareeswarar Temple in Tiruchengode, where the eponymous presiding deity is part-Shiva and part-Parvati, in one idol. The Tamil title of the book, 'Madhorubagan', is translation of the name of the deity (Ardha-naree-eswarar), just as the English title, 'One Part Woman', is an allusion to the deity's form. Following the protests, Perumal Murugan had decided not to write any more, and withdrew all publications.