New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has summoned British broadcaster BBC in a defamation case relating to its two-part documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.
A petition filed by a Gujarat-based NGO has claimed that the documentary “India: The Modi Question” tarnishes the reputation of India, its judiciary and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the chief minister of the state at the time of the riots. Happened.
Justice Sachin Datta’s bench on Monday issued summons to the respondents including BBC and listed the matter for further consideration in September.
Apart from BBC (UK), Justice Dutta had also served notice to BBC (India), seeking response on the suit filed by Gujarat-based NGO “Justice for Trial”.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the NGO, told the court that the documentary has defamed India and the entire system including the judiciary. He said that it also made allegations against the Prime Minister.
The documentary was released in the United Kingdom on 17 January, and within a week unauthorized clips began circulating in India, prompting the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ban it. The Ministry of Information also used its emergency powers to block over 50 links to the documentary on YouTube and Twitter.
The Ministry of External Affairs called the two-part series “propaganda”.
Since then, efforts have been made to screen the documentary, particularly on university and college campuses. This did not go down well with the authorities, resulting in a scuffle and detention of the students. Several student unions have criticized the ban, with one saying that “the ban on the documentary is a curtailment of our right to free media and education”.
Meanwhile, a lower court in Delhi recently issued summons to the BBC, Wikimedia Foundation and Internet Archive in a defamation suit filed by BJP leader Binay Kumar Singh, asking them to publish documentaries or any other material related to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. There was a demand to stop doing. and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
In February, the Supreme Court had dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a complete ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and BBC India from operating in Indian territory. An apex court bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundaresh dismissed the petition filed by right-wing Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta terming it as “absolutely misconceived”.
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