The Supreme Court directed Hindu Sena on Thursday to mention tomorrow, its public interest litigation (PIL), which sought a complete ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for airing the documentary, India: The Modi Question, based on the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud refused urgent hearing on the matter, observing that a CJI-led Bench conducted hearing on urgent mentioning, only when the matter was listed in the mentioning list.
The Counsel representing the petitioner was told to mention the matter tomorrow.
The PIL was filed by Vishnu Gupta, President of Hindu Sena and one Beerendra Kumar Singh, a farmer. It sought a total ban on BBC and the documentary, as well as a probe into the Corporation’s alleged anti-India reportage.
The documentary made by BBC analysed the riots that took place in Gujarat in 2002 and the role played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Despite a ban by the Central government on both social media and online platforms, the documentary has been screened in a number of colleges and universities across the country.
The plea contended that the overall growth of India has picked up momentum since 2014 under the Prime Ministership of Narendra Modi. It alleged that anti-India lobby and media, particularly BBC, was not able to digest this fact and therefore, the national British broadcaster has been biased against India and the Indian government.
The petition mentioned that the Supreme Court itself had ruled in cases related to Gujarat riots 2002 that no evidence was found to show the attacks were either inspired or instigated by any Minister from the State of Gujarat.
The Hindu Sena further contended in the plea that the Nanavati Commission Report on 2020 Gujarat Violence also mentioned that there was no evidence to connect any Minister of the Gujarat Government with the violence that took place in 2002.
The petitioner said that in 2022, the Apex Court had rejected an appeal filed against the clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the grounds that the plea was an attempt to keep the pot boiling.
The documentary implicating the Prime Minister was not only reflective of anti-Narendra Modi propaganda to tarnish his image, but also indicated the anti Hinduism propaganda of BBC, which aimed at destroying the social fabric of the country, he added.