The Supreme Court on Monday postponed the hearing on the petitions against the Centre’s prohibition of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question” to January 2025. The delay comes as the Centre has yet to file its counter-affidavit regarding the documentary, which scrutinizes the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The bench, led by Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar, granted the Centre additional time after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the government, committed to submitting the necessary documents within the next two weeks.
Originally intended for broadcast in January 2023, the documentary was promptly banned in India, with the government also ordering the removal of related content from YouTube and Twitter (now referred to as X). The Ministry of External Affairs criticized the documentary as a “propaganda piece” that portrays India negatively, accusing it of lacking objectivity and demonstrating a colonial bias.
The government’s strong stance has sparked a debate on freedom of expression versus national interests, with the Ministry asserting that any unauthorized screening violates Intellectual Property Rights and potentially stirs public discord.
