Updated: August 28, 2020 10:15:16 pm
Suresh Chavhanke, owner and editor-in-chief of Sudarshan News. (Proceedings)
On Friday, the Supreme Court refused to impose a pre-broadcast ban on Sudarshan TV on broadcasting the ‘Bindas Bol’ program, the latest promotion of which claimed the channel was set to air a ‘major exposition on the conspiracy to infiltrate Muslims. in government service. ‘
A bank made up of Justices DY Chandrachud and KM Joseph said it first has to “be prudent in imposing a pre-publication or dissemination restriction on opinions.
“At this stage, we have desisted from imposing a pre-broadcast interlocutory injunction based on an unverified transcript of a forty-nine second clip. The Court should be prudent in imposing a prior limitation on the publication or dissemination of opinions. We observe that under the legal provisions, the competent authorities have powers to guarantee compliance with the law, including the provisions of criminal law designed to guarantee social harmony and peaceful coexistence of all communities, ”said the court.
The high court issued a notice to the Center, the Press Council of India, the Association of News Broadcasters and Sudarshan News about a guilty plea filed by a defender Firoz Iqbal Khan with a complaint related to a program scheduled to air today on 8 pm.
Read | Delhi HC continues to broadcast Sudarshan News program on ‘Muslim infiltration’ in public administration
“Taking into account the importance of the issues that arise from the petition under Article 32, we order that a notice be issued to the defendants, returnable on September 15, 2020.
“On the next listing date, the court will consider appointing amicus curiae to help it reach a resolution that advances the protection of constitutional rights,” the court said.
The higher court said that, prima facie, the petition raises important questions related to the protection of constitutional rights.
“In accordance with the fundamental right to freedom of expression and expression, the Court will need to foster a thoughtful debate on the establishment of self-regulatory standards,” the supreme court said.
Along with freedom of expression, there are other constitutional values that must be balanced and preserved, including the fundamental right to equality and fair treatment for every segment of citizens, the high court said.
The petitioner has relied on the transcription of a forty-nine second clip that, according to the lawyer, was broadcast by the television channel in the course of the last week.
The petitioner’s argument is that the clip contains derogatory statements about the entry of Muslims into the public administration.
The attorney who appeared on behalf of the petitioner argued that the transmission of opinions during the course of the program would violate the Program Code listed in the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act of 1995, together with the Code of Ethics and Regulations of News Transmission Rules.
During the course of the hearing, it was highlighted that the expression of derogatory opinions towards a particular community has divisive potential.
In the viral clip, the channel’s editor-in-chief, Suresh Chavhanke, had alleged a conspiracy in the “overwhelming” number of Muslim students who passed the Union Public Service Commission examinations and was scheduled to broadcast “a major exposure. on conspiracy to infiltrate Muslims in government service “. .
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