Read why The Delhi Court sent notice to BBC
The Delhi High Court sent a notice to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Monday in relation to a defamation case filed by a Gujarat-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) against the United Kingdom (UK)’s national broadcaster for its documentary “India: The Modi Question.”
The documentary is based on the 2002 Gujarat riots when PM Narendra Modi was the state’s chief minister and has been labelled “propaganda” and a manifestation of the “colonial mindset” by the administration.
In January, it directed video-sharing provider YouTube to erase copies of the film and Twitter to remove posts about it.
The administration claimed the video promoted a “discredited narrative” and emphasised that the Supreme Court exonerated Modi of wrongdoing.
The BBC insisted that the film “was rigorously researched by the highest editorial standards.”
In their petition, the NGO Justice On Trial claimed that the documentary defamed the people of India. It claimed that the documentary is defamatory and slanders the reputation of the country, the judiciary, and the Prime Minister.
Senior barrister Harish Salve, who represented the NGO in the high court, stated that the entire system, including India’s legal system, had been slandered.
“Issue notice to the respondents through all permissible modes,” stated Supreme Court Justice Sachin Datta orally. He stated that the case would be heard in September.
Amid the uproar over the programme, the Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) demanding a ban on BBC in India as “completely misconceived” in February.
The petitioner, Beerendra Kumar Singh of the Hindu Sena, was told by a bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh that the PIL was complete without merit.
The income tax authorities also conducted a “survey” of BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai in February, sparking a political uproar.
Opposition parties slammed the decision, linking it to the BBC’s broadcast of a two-part programme that quoted a previously unpublished dossier from the UK foreign ministry that questioned Modi’s actions during the riots.
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