Ahmedabad, Sep 4 - Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh finally has reason to smile with the Gujarat High Court Friday overturning the state government's ban on his book 'Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence'.

In the book, Jaswant Singh praises Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah and blames India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for the partition.

A full-bench comprising Chief Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan, Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice K.M. Thaker, hearing a public interest petition, ruled against the state govenment ban on the book.

Singh said he was 'thrilled, absolutely thrilled' by the high court judgement and added it was a positive reflection on the judiciary. But, he told CNN-IBN television channel, 'one should not have to go to the court for this'.

'I have not abused anybody, so why (ban the book)?' the former minister for finance, defence and external affairs said.

A stunned BJP-ruled Gujarat government said it would study the judgment before firming up its next course of action. State government spokesperson Jay Narayan Vyas said: 'We would wait for (a copy of) the judgment and then a matured decision would be taken.'

Asked if it was a defeat for the government, Vyas, also the state's health minister, told reporters: 'It is neither a victory nor a defeat.