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Bombay HC's 'War And Peace' Remark To Vernon Gonsalves Has Twitter Stunned

Twitter users wondered what to do with their own copies of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel and some wanted to send a copy to the judge.
Getty Images and Twitter

It is likely that most of us have read War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy at some point in our lives, and may have had it as part of our syllabus while studying. But did you know that having a copy of the book could get you into trouble?

A Bombay High Court judge was absolutely unhappy that activist Vernon Gonsalves, who was arrested as an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, had a copy at home.

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PTI reported that Justice Sarang Kotwal, while hearing Gonsalves’s bail plea, said, “The title of the CD ‘Rajya Daman Virodhi’ itself suggests it has something against the State while ‘War and Peace’ is about a war in another country. Why did you (Gonsalves) keep objectionable material such as books like ‘War and Peace’, books and CDs at home? You will have to explain this to the court.”

A classic novel, considered one of Tolstoy’s best works, is about the French invasion of Russia and the Napoleonic Era.

Now, this question over owning a copy of a classic novel left many baffled and angry. Many Twitter users made fun of the incident and some called this absolutely ridiculous.

Here’s what Twitter users said:

Some Twitter users pointed out that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been seen reading War and Peace!

Some people offered to send Justice Kotwal their copies so that he could read it!

Some others wondered what to do with their copies of the book, in case they get arrested for having it.

And those who hadn’t read it wanted to read it ASAP.

The best part about all this? It had people on Twitter talk about books and reading.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.