NEW DELHI:
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by Hindu Sena seeking a ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for airing the documentary, India: The Modi Question, on the 2002 Gujarat riots [Vishnu Gupta and anr vs Union of India and ors].
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh said that the plea was misconceived and the Court cannot impose censorship.
“Completely misconceived, how can this be argued also? You want us to put complete censorship..What is this?” the bench asked Senior Advocate Pinky Anand who appeared for the petitioner.
Anand requested that the petitioner be heard.
“Same thing happened in India’s Daughter.. We have Kashmir..we had Mumbai riots.. Let it be heard,” she said.
The Court, however, refused.
“Let us not waste any more time, Writ plea is entirely misconceived. it has no merit. Thus, dismissed,” the Court ordered.
The documentary in question, ‘India: The Modi Question’, deals with the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The documentary examines the role of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat when the riots happened.
The Central government has banned the documentary on social media and online channels though it has been screened in various colleges and universities across the country.
Besides, seeking a ban on BBC, the petition filed before the top court by Vishnu Gupta, President of right wing organisation Hindu Sena and one Beerendra Kumar Singh, a farmer also sought investigation into the BBC what for the petitioners alleged to be anti-India reporting.
It was contended that the documentary film implicating the current PMis not only reflective of anti-Narendra Modi propaganda to tarnish his image but also anti Hinduism propaganda by the BBC to destroy the social fabric of India, it was contended.
It was further alleged that the BBC has an anti-Indian stance since the time of Indian independence.
Subsequently, the Central government led by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi banned the BBC in India for two years, it was highlighted.
The petitioner submitted that he had given a representation to the Union Home Ministry on January 27 to ban the network, but no action has been taken till date.
The petitioner said that the right to free speech under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution is not an absolute right but is qualified by Article 19(2).
The same bench of the top court had last week sought the response of the Central government on pleas challenging government orders to block the documentary. The judges had, however, rejected requests for any interim relief.
