Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace is a literary classic based on the French invasion of Russia and its aftermath. Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace is a literary classic based on the French invasion of Russia and its aftermath.

The Bombay High Court Thursday said it was aware that Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ is a literary classic and that it didn’t mean to suggest that all the books seized by Pune police in connection with the Elgaar Parishad case were incriminating.

The clarification from the high court comes a day after it questioned activist Vernon Gonsalves why he had Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace at his home when the book was “about a war in another country”.

Justice Kotwal was quoted by PTI as saying: “You have made your point about the books not being banned. Besides, yesterday, I was reading the whole list from the chargesheet. It was written in such poor handwriting. I know War and Peace. I was making a query on the entire list that police has mentioned (as evidence).”

A lawyer appearing for Sudha Bahrdwaj, another co-accused in the case, told the court that the ‘War and Peace’ it had referred to on Wednesday was a collection of essays edited by Biswajit Roy, and was titled ‘War and Peace in Junglemahal: People, State and Maoists’.

On Wednesday, the court was hearing the bail plea of Gonsalves, who was arrested by Pune Police on August 28 last year for his alleged links with the banned CPI-Maoist.

Referring to a list submitted by the police of books, documents and CDs allegedly found during a search at the home of Gonsalves, including ‘RCP Review’, ‘Marxist Archives’ and ‘Rajya Daman Virodhi’ by Kabir Kala Manch, and a documentary titled ‘Jai Bhim Comrade’, Justice Sarang Kotwal said, “Title (of the documents) itself says it is against the state”.

On ‘War and Peace’, Justice Kotwal said: “Why would you keep a book about a war in another country at your home?” The court also asked Gonsalves’ lawyer to address the books and documents found while continuing his arguments Thursday.

Published in full in 1869, ‘War and Peace’ is based on the French invasion of Russia and its aftermath, and is considered a masterpiece of world literature.

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