NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's three-decade ban on importing author Salman Rushdie's controversial 'The Satanic Verses' book has effectively been lifted after a court said the government was unable to produce the original notification that imposed the ban.

A court in India has lifted a three-decade ban on Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses after authorities were unable to produce the original order prohibiting imports of the controversial novel. The Delhi High Court quashed the 1988 import ban on Tuesday in a case brought five years ago by reader Sandipan Khan,

Salman Rushdie’s controversial 1988 novel The Satanic Verses could become available in India for the first time in decades after a court in Delhi said the government was unable to produce the original notification document that banned imports of the book.

India’s ban on the import of author Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses has been overturned by the Delhi High Court due to a remarkable situation – the original notification cannot be found. The 1988 magic realism novel,

Rushdie's novel was banned in the Asian country in 1988 due to controversy over its depiction of Islam and portrayal of Prophet Muhammad. View on euronews

The book was banned in 1988 by the Congress government claiming that it could give rise to law and order problems.