New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the central government on pleas challenging its decision to block a controversial BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots that questioned then state chief minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
The government has dismissed the documentary titled “India: The Modi Question” as a biased “propaganda piece.” It has also blocked the sharing of any clips from it on social media.
New Delhi-based lawyer, M.L. Sharma had opposed the government’s move in one of the petitions to the Supreme Court.
A separate petition by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, journalist N. Ram and Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra focussed on the order to take down social media links to the documentary.
In a Twitter comment on the second petition, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju had said, “This is how they waste the precious time of the Honourable Supreme Court, where thousands of common citizens are waiting and seeking dates for justice.”
On Friday, a top court bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and M.M. Sundresh considered both petitions and directed the Centre to produce original records related to its take-down order in the next hearing, which will be in April, 2023. Justice Khanna also turned down a request for an urgent hearing.
The Prime Minister has denied accusations that he did not do enough to stop the riots that killed 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. He was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry overseen by the Supreme Court. A petition questioning his exoneration was dismissed last year.
The BBC has said the two-part series was “rigorously researched” and involved a varied range of voices and opinions, including responses from leaders in the BJP.
Meanwhile, students’ bodies across universities and colleges have screened or tried to screen the documentary, facing reprisals from university authorities and the police. Many students were also detained after dramatic showdowns on campuses.
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