New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Center on a petition directing the Center to stop censoring a BBC documentary related to the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The Supreme Court has also directed the Center to submit its reply within three weeks and asked it to submit the original documents in this case. The next hearing on the matter will be held in April.
The Supreme Court today heard the Public Interest Litigation filed against the order banning the social media links of the BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.
During today’s hearing, the Supreme Court has refused to pass any interim order on a petition filed jointly by journalist N Ram, TMC MP Mahua Moitra and lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a two-part documentary series that criticized Prime Minister Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, particularly in relation to the 2002 Godhra riots. The documentary series was met with outrage by many in the country and was also condemned in the UK.
It has also been removed from social media platforms in India. Several YouTube videos sharing the first episode of the BBC documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’ have been blocked as per the directives of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
The government had ordered a social media block under Section 69A of the IT Act on a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this case, journalist N Ram, TMC leader Mahua Moitra, advocate Prashant Bhushan and ML Sharma have filed petitions in the Supreme Court. After filing the Centre’s reply, the matter will be heard further in the month of April.
What exactly is there in this documentary?
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has produced a documentary based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. An attempt has been made to tarnish Modi’s image through this documentary and the Ministry of External Affairs has responded that this is propaganda against India.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi held a press conference in this regard. In this he said, “This documentary is an attempt to spread propaganda against India. It is clear from this documentary that the people making this film are motivated by certain ideas. There is no truth in what they have presented. It shows the mentality of slavery. We do not know that What is the agenda behind this?”
