Supreme Court Adjourns BBC Documentary Hearing

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing on the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question” to January 2025. A counter affidavit from the Centre has not yet been recorded. The Centre has banned the documentary from being released in India.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

On Monday, the Supreme Court adjourned pleas challenging the Centre’s ban on the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question” to January 2025. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar postponed the case since a counter affidavit by the Centre has not yet been recorded.

Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that he would file the counter in two weeks. The two-episode documentary, based on the 2002 Gujarat riots, was scheduled for telecast in January 2023.

The Centre had banned the documentary’s release in India and also issued directives to block multiple YouTube videos and Twitter (now X) posts sharing links to the documentary.

The Ministry of External Affairs described the documentary as a “propaganda piece,” which “lacked objectivity” and reflected “a colonial mindset.”

The Centre stated, “The Centre has blocked the controversial documentary across all social media platforms. Any attempts to screen the film will be considered a violation of Intellectual Property Rights.”