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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued summons to the BBC on a defamation petition filed by a non-governmental organization Justice no Trial. The petition claimed that the BBC documentary the reputation of India and its judiciary as well as that of Prime Minister Modi.
Justice Sachin Dutta bench adjourned the hearing till September while issuing notice to BBC. The BBC had made a documentary on the Gujarat 2002 riots, the telecast of which was banned by the central government.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the NGO, said the defamation suit against BBC is in respect of a documentary which has “maligned” India and the entire system, including the judiciary. It was argued on behalf of the plaintiffs that the documentary makes defamatory allegations and brings disrepute to the country.
The high court said, “issue notice to the respondents by all acceptable means” and listed it for further hearing on September 15. Earlier, while hearing the defamation petition filed in relation to the BBC documentary, the Rohini court on Wednesday issued summons to the BBC.
Additional District Judge Ruchika Singla also issued summons to the Wikimedia Foundation (which funds Wikipedia) and the US-based Digital Library. In this case, the court has ordered BBC to file a statement in writing within 30 days.
The petition was filed by Binay Kumar Singh, a member of the State Executive Committee of the Jharkhand BJP and an active volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), through his advocate Mukesh Sharma in the Rohini court.
Let us tell you that this documentary made by BBC is based on the riots in Gujarat in the year 2002, which raised questions on the working style of the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi. At the same time, people opposing the documentary say that facts have been wrongly presented in this documentary, which is completely wrong. The telecast of this documentary was also banned.
