The publication of Rangeela Rasool (meaning "Colourful Prophet") in
The original 1924 text was in Urdu, with later translations into Hindi and English. Because the book is officially banned
: Rajpal was arrested under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, which at the time only prohibited acts that promoted "enmity between classes".
The tract was a retaliatory response to a Muslim pamphlet titled "Sita ka Chinala," which disparaged the Hindu goddess Sita. This cycle of "gutter press" polemics fueled intense communal tensions in 1920s Punjab. The Rajpal Trial:
ruled that while the pamphlet was in "bad taste," existing law (Section 153A) only prohibited attacks on current religious communities , not deceased religious leaders. Legislative Reform
The end of syncretism: It signaled a hardening of religious identities in the lead-up to the Partition of India.
Publisher Mahashe Rajpal was initially acquitted because, at the time, there was no law against insulting a deceased religious leader. Following his acquittal, he was assassinated in 1929 by a young man named Ilm-ud-din. Content and Translation
Historical Origins: Published anonymously in Urdu in 1924, Rangeela Rasool (translating to "The Colorful Prophet") was a satirical pamphlet about the marital life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
