In a significant development concluding a two-decade-long legal dispute, Oxford University Press (OUP) India has issued a formal public apology to Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale, the 13th descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This action follows a directive from the Bombay High Court's Kolhapur bench.
Court Directive Leads to Public Apology
The Bombay High Court's Kolhapur bench, presided over by Justice Shivkumar Dige, issued the order on December 17, 2025. The court was hearing petitions filed by former OUP India Managing Director Sayeed Manzar Khan and three others. They had challenged a magisterial court order from April 2, 2005, which had initiated criminal defamation proceedings against them under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code.
During the hearing, the lawyers representing Khan and the other petitioners submitted that their clients were prepared to tender an apology to the complainant, Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale. They committed to publishing this apology letter in widely circulating Marathi and English newspapers at a national level.
Two Decades of Controversy
The controversy stems from the publication of the book "Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India" by author James Laine in 2003. The book sparked major outrage the following year, in 2004, with protests over its content. The situation escalated to a violent attack on a history research centre based in Pune.
The legal case began when Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale filed a private complaint, leading to the magisterial court's 2005 order. In its recent public notice, OUP India stated it has found references on four specific pages—31, 33, 34, and 93—of the book to be "unverified" and expressed regret for the same.
Court's Final Disposal and Publisher's Stance
Accepting the petitioners' undertaking, the Bombay High Court disposed of the petitions. The court granted a 15-day period for the publication of the apology and also quashed and set aside the magisterial court's 2005 order, effectively ending the criminal defamation process.
In an emailed response to queries, OUP India representative Ruchika Tandon clarified the publisher's position. She stated, "OUP India publishes a wide range of resources, with a variety of perspectives across different disciplines." Regarding the contentious title, she noted it was published for a brief period over two decades ago and was promptly recalled and withdrawn from circulation in response to the concerns raised at the time.
Tandon's statement concluded, "Proceedings before the Mumbai High Court have now concluded... We always seek to consider cultural sensitivities and context carefully to ensure that our products can be read and enjoyed by as many people worldwide as possible." This apology brings a formal close to a long-standing issue that intersected historical discourse, cultural sentiment, and legal accountability.
