SC to take up appeals challenging ban on BBC documentary on Modi
The Supreme Court will today take up the requests challenging the centre’s decision to block the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 2002 Gujarat riots.
The lead appeal was filed by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, veteran journalist N Ram and lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan.
In their appeal to the top court, they have sought a direction to restrain the centre from curbing their right to “receive and disseminate information” on the two-part BBC series called “India: The Modi Question”
“All citizens including the press have the fundamental right to view, form an informed opinion, critique, report on, and lawfully circulate the contents of the documentary,” it said.
The appeal has also sought quashing of “all orders directly or indirectly censoring” the information shared on social media.
Last week, advocate CU Singh – appearing for the three petitioners – had said that the centre has invoked emergency powers under IT Rules to remove the links about the documentary from social media.
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh will hear their request.
A separate appeal was filed by advocate ML Sharma calling the centre’s ban on the documentary “malafide, arbitrary, and unconstitutional”.