New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday orally queried how can a documentary affect the country, as it junked a plea seeking a complete ban on BBC in India over its documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and allegations linked to the 2002 Gujarat riots.
A bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and M.M. Sundresh termed the PIL — filed by the president of Hindu Sena seeking a ban on the BBC for airing the documentary, ‘India: The Modi Question’ on the 2002 Gujarat riots — as “completely misconceived”.
During the hearing, the bench queried as to how can a documentary affect the country, as it told the petitioner’s counsel, “Completely misconceived, how can this be argued also? You want us to put complete censorship? What is this?”
Senior advocate Pinky Anand, representing the petitioner, urged the bench to hear the petitioner and argued that the BBC was “deliberately maligning India’s image”.
The court also declined a request by Anand to tag the petition with a pending joint petition filed by journalist N. Ram, advocate Prashant Bhushan and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and another one filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma.
Earlier this month, the top court, acting on pleas of N.Ram and others, had asked the Centre to produce original records related to its decision to block the BBC documentary on PM Modi.
Anand urged the bench to examine the background in which India has become powerful with its rise as economic power and also a man of Indian origin has become UK Prime Minister.
However, the top court asked how she could argue all these in support of her plea for a ban on the BBC.
The bench said: “Let us not waste any more time. The writ petition is entirely misconceived and has no merit. Thus, it is dismissed.”
The plea filed by Vishnu Gupta, president of Hindu Sena, and others, contended that the petitioner had made a representation to the Centre in January to ban the media network, but no action has been taken till date.
The Centre has banned the documentary on social media and online channels though it has been screened in various colleges and universities across the country.
The plea contended that the documentary is a “result of deep conspiracy against the global rise of India and its Prime Minister”.
The plea also sought an investigation into the “conspiracy” behind the documentary.
The plea alleged that the BBC documentary relating to 2022 Gujarat violence implicating Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only reflective of anti-Narendra Modi cold propaganda broadcast to tarnish his image, but it is also a anti-Hinduism propaganda by the BBC to destroy the social fabric of India.
(IANS)
