Supreme Court has dismissed a request for a complete ban of BBC in India over its documentary on Prime Minister Modi and allegations linked to 2002 Guajarat Riots , calling it entirely misconcieved.
Request for a complete ban on BBC in India , dismissed by Supreme Court calling it “entirely misconcieved”
Further it questioned by rejecting a petition by Hindu Sena Chief Vishnu Gupta seeking a ban on Britain’s National Broadcaster operating in India,
“How can a documentary affect the country,”
Senior Lawyer Pinki Anand , representing the petitioner argued:
- BBC was deliberately maligning India’s image
- Investigation by National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the “conspiracy” behind the documentary
Petition stated,
“The documentary film by BBC relating to Gujarat violence 2002 implicating Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only reflective of anti-Narendra Modi cold propaganda broadcast to tarnish his image alone but this is anti-Hinduism propaganda by the BBC to destroy the social fabric of India,”
The Supreme Court judges stated,
“How can the Supreme Court pass such orders? The writ petition is entirely misconceived and has no merit and is accordingly dismissed.”
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Two Part BBC Controversy in India
- The two-part BBC series, “India: The Modi Question”, was taken down from public platforms last month.
- On January 21, the Centre, using emergency powers under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, directed blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial documentary.
Petitions filed before Supreme Court asking Centre to stop censoring the documentary
The veteran journalist N Ram, the activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan, and the Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra are among those who have petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the Centre from censpring the documentary. The Supreme Court sent notice to the Centre earlier this month.
The petitions contest the use of emergency authorities to block the documentary and take down social media links.
A related appeal filed by attorney ML Sharma, the Center never formally announced the blocking decision, which he described as “malafide, capricious, and unconstitutional.” The petitioners claim that the Center must immediately publish the emergency blocking orders.
Centre’s Response
- The documentary is referred to by the government as “propaganda,” lacking objectivity, and reflecting a colonial attitude.
- No evidence of misconduct by PM Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat when riots broke out throughout the state in February 2002, was found out by an investigation ordered by the Supreme Court.
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