http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEU20060621130249&Title=Hyderabad&Topic=0&

HC quashes ban on The Da Vinci Code
Thursday June 22 2006 00:00 IST
HYDERABAD: Justice G Raghuram of High Court on Wednesday suspended the orders of the Andhra Pradesh government imposing ban on the screening of the controversial film The Da Vinci Code in the state.

The Judge passed the order in a batch of petitions filed by distributors of the film questioning the imposition of the ban and terming it as illegal and unconstitutional.

The Judge, while declaring the ban as null and void, also directed the Government to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each to the producer and distributor of the film.

The Judge observed that it was not proper on the part of the government to impose a ban on the film just because some individuals and organisations had demanded it.

The film was banned under Section 8 of the AP Cinemas (Regulation) Act on June 1, a day before it was slated for release across the state.

The Government issued orders (GO Ms No 1012) after considering representations from various Christian organisations calling for a ban on the ground that the film, based on best-selling author Dan Brown's book, would hurt the religious sentiments of Christians.

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Speech by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times....

"When we were young kids growing up in America, we were told to eat our
vegetables at dinner and not leave them. Mothers said, 'think of the
starving children in India and finish the dinner.' And now I tell my
children: 'Finish your maths homework. Think of the children in India
who would make you starve, if you don't.'"