The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking a ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation in India in wake of its controversial talkie series named ‘India The Modi Question’ grounded on the Gujarat screams of 2002.
Rejecting the plea, a bench of judges Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh nominated the plea as “completely misconceived” and said the court can not go ahead and put suppression. The plea filed by Hindu Sena chairman Vishnu Gupta and one Beerendra Kumar Singh sought a ban on the BBC in India and also sought a disquisition into the BBC for what the pleaders claimed to be “anti-India reporting”.
“Fully miscalculated, how can this be argued also? You want us to put complete suppression. What’s this?” the bench asked elderly advocate Pinky Anand who was representing the supplicant.
“Let us not waste any further time, “Writ plea is entirely miscalculated. It has no merit. Therefore, dismissed”, Bar and Bench quoted the bench as stating in its order. The BBC’s two-part talk on the part of Narendra Modi, the also Chief Minister of Gujarat, in allegedly allowing the targeting of a particular community in the wake of the Godhra tragedy has touched off a major controversy across India.
While the Centre has barred social media and online platforms from raising the talk, it has been screened across several premises in sodalities and universities across India. The solicitation also sought directions to the NIA to initiate an inquiry into “anti-India Andanti-Indian Government reporting/talkie flicks short flicks including its hand intelligencer in India”.
The solicitation further claimed that the BBC has hampered peace and public integrity prevailing in India. “India’s overall growth has picked up since 2014 under the Prime Ministership of Sh.Narendra Modi, isn’t being digested by anti-India lobby, media particularly BBC. Thus, the BBC has been poisoned against India and the Indian Government,” it said, according to Live Law.
The Supreme Court is independently hearing desires filed by advocate Prashant Bhushan, intelligencer N Ram and others challenging the Centre’s decision to “ban” a BBC talk named ‘India The Modi Question’. On February 3rd, the Supreme Court sent a notice to the Centre requesting a response and requesting that it provide original documents pertaining to the takedown order. The matter is slated to be heard next in April.