Oxford University Press (OUP) has apologized after two decades for the book written on Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Oxford University Press (OUP) had to publicly apologize for a statement contained in an old book published on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This controversy is related to the book Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India by American historian James Laine, published in 2003. There was a large scale protest in Maharashtra by terming some excerpts of this book as insulting, defamatory and baseless towards Shivaji Maharaj and his mother Rajmata Jijabai.
The years-long legal dispute finally ended with a public apology by Oxford University Press (OUP) in early 2026 following a Bombay High Court order in late 2025. Do you know what was the controversy, when did it arise and what is the latest context?
What was the book and what became the root of the controversy?
Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India was published around February 2003. In some of its pages, there were some statements and insinuations about Shivaji Maharaj, which the protesters considered unverified and derogatory. There was controversy in Maharashtra regarding this issue. People took to the streets. Oxford University Press later admitted in its public notice that some statements related to Shivaji Maharaj were unverified. The press also specifically mentioned pages 31, 33, 34 and 93 of the apology. According to media reports, these references sparked widespread outrage in Maharashtra and the matter escalated.
This book by James Lane written on Chhatrapati Shivaji was published in 2003.
How did the matter flare up and why did it reach violence?
The protests intensified after some excerpts from the book came out. According to several reports, an incident of vandalism also took place in Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) located in Pune in 2004. The protesters alleged that the institute had played a role in the writing of the book at the level of research material and cooperation. This incident made the controversy nationally famous. Later, issues ranging from banning of the book by the state government to withdrawal of the books by the publisher also came to light. Many media organizations had also published detailed reports in this regard.
Why apology after two decades, what happened in between?
The biggest question is that when the controversy had become fierce in 2003-04 itself, then why did it have to apologize again in 2026? The answer lies in the long-running defamation case in the court. It is recorded in informed sources that in the year 2005, Shivaji Maharaj’s descendant and MP Udayan Raje Bhosale had filed a defamation complaint against people associated with book publishing. This legal process lasted for years and the case was finally settled before the Kolhapur Bench of the Bombay High Court in December 2025, where the settlement stipulated that Oxford University Press would publish a public apology in English and Marathi newspapers.
The full legal time-line and context of the agreement have been mentioned in several media reports. That is, the immediate reason was not the sudden re-emergence of the book, but the settlement of the old case at the judicial level and the issuance of a formal apology as per the agreement.
There was opposition due to some parts of the book being derogatory towards Shivaji Maharaj and Rajmata Jijabai.
What did OUP say in its apology?
According to media reports, the central point of OUP’s apology was that some statements about Shivaji Maharaj in the book were unverified, for which the publisher regretted and apologized when published. It was also underlined that this book was available in India for a very limited time and was withdrawn long ago.
How did the matter come to light?
The practical answer to this question is that the matter has not come to light afresh. This was already a historical dispute, which remained pending in the court. When the apology was published in the newspapers after the settlement in the High Court in December 2025, this news again came into the headlines and people felt that suddenly an apology had to be made in 2026 on the 2003 book. That is why this issue again came into wide discussion. The source of this resurgence was the court settlement and the public notice published thereafter.
What was written in OUP’s apology?
Recently, in a public notice and apology published in Marathi and English newspapers, Oxford University Press (OUP) said that some statements about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the book Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India, published in 2003 (the notice specifically mentioned pages 31, 33, 34 and 93) were unverified. He sincerely expresses regret over the publication of such statements. OUP publicly apologized to Shrimant Chhatrapati Udayan Raje Bhosle and the public for the pain caused by this. It was also told in the apology that this book was available in India for a very limited period. The protest was later withdrawn.
This case became an example of the conflict between historiography, public trust, identity and legal accountability in India. Shivaji Maharaj is considered a symbol of respect and pride not only in Maharashtra but throughout the country. When statements from a reputable publisher appear in a book that people consider offensive or factual, the reaction can be intense, both emotionally and politically. On the other hand, publishers also have a responsibility to exercise the highest standards of source verification and contextual care when writing material on sensitive historical figures. The controversy ended with a court settlement and a public apology—but it reignited debate over how history should be written and published.
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