BBC documentary row: SC to hear plea challenging Centre's ban on Feb 6

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear pleas from next week challenging the Centre's decision to block the controversial BBC documentary, ‘India: The Modi Question’.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala took note of the submissions of lawyer M L Sharma and senior advocate C U Singh seeking urgent listing of their separate PILs on the issue, PTI reported.

The CJI agreed to list the case next Monday, February 6.

Lawyer Sharma filed the PIL against the Centre's decision to block the documentary, alleging it was "malafide, arbitrary and unconstitutional".

The PIL also urged the apex court to call and examine the BBC documentary - both parts I and II - and sought action against persons who were responsible and involved directly and indirectly with the 2002 Gujarat riots.

On January 21, the Centre asked social media platforms Twitter and YouTube to block links of the BBC documentary that is allegedly critical of PM Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister during the 2002 riots in Gujarat, government sources told India Today.

The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry asked the two social media platforms not to allow the documentary titled "India: The Modi Question" to be shared or viewed. The directions were issued by Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Apurva Chandra using the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021.  

Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi deemed access to the BBC's two-part series as a 'propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative'.

The BBC documentary, which was shared on social media platforms, questioned PM Narendra Modi's leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots. PM Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat when the communal riots broke out following the burning of a train in Godhra in 2002.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price claimed that he was not familiar with the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, he added that he was familiar with the shared values that enact the United States and India as two thriving and vibrant democracies.

(With PTI inputs)

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