BBC DEFAMATIOM AND MODI A Delhi court has issued summons to BBC over a defamation suit filed by BJP leader Binay Kumar Singh in connection with the British broadcaster's documentary 'India: The Modi Question'.
Additional District Judge (ADJ) Ruchika Singla on Wednesday (3 May) also summoned Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia funder) and the Internet Archive, a US based digital library. "Issue summons of the suit for settlement of issues to the defendant on filing of PF and e-mode returnable on next date of hearing. PF be filed today itself. The defendant is directed to file his written statement within 30 days from the date of service of the summons. Endorsement be made on the summons accordingly," the Court said in its order. Kumar approached the court saying that he is a state executive committee member of Jharkhand BJP and an active volunteer of RSS and VHP. The suit, filed through Advocate Mukesh Sharma, said that the BBC documentary has defamed organisations such as RSS, VHP, and BJP. The allegations made against the RSS and VHP are motivated by a malicious intent to defame the organizations and its millions of members/ volunteers. Such unfounded allegations are not only baseless but also have the potential to damage the reputation and image of the RSS, VHP and its millions of members/ volunteers, who have committed themselves to upholding the cultural, social and national values of India," the suit said. The suit further said that the documentary's release has caused fear and terror among member of various groups and can potentially trigger violence and jeopardise public order nationwide. According to the suit, BBC disseminated unfounded rumours "strategically and purposefully" without verifying the authenticity of the claims. "Furthermore, the accusations made therein foster animosity between multiple faith communities, in particular Hindus and Muslims," it said. The Court was informed that the documentary has been banned by the Indian government, but a Wikipedia page dedicated to the series provides links to watch it and that the content is still available on Internet Archive. @@@ "This leads to a reasonable inference that all three defendants are acting in concert and mutually in order to tarnish the image of the country as well as of distinguished organizations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)," it added. The plaintiff requested for an injunction against BBC, Wikimedia, and Internet Archive to restrain them from publishing the documentary or any other material against the RSS and VHP. The case will be now heard on 11 May. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx @@@ In Wikipedia: The second part of a two-part controversial documentary series <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bbc-documentary-on-pm-modi-youth-outfits-defy-ban-to-hold-public-screenings/article66429538.ece> , *India: The Modi Question*, aired in the United Kingdom on Tuesday evening, examining the evolution of the Modi government’s relationship with India’s Muslims as well as communal relations in the country since 2014. The government had denounced and banned the first part of the documentary, which aired last week in the U.K. and described a British government report that held Prime Minister Modi , then Chief Minister of Gujarat, responsible for the 2002 Gujarat riots. The government criticised the program, saying it lacked objectivity, reflected a “continuing colonial mindset” and was “propaganda” <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bbc-documentary-on-pm-modi-a-propaganda-piece-designed-to-push-a-particular-discredited-narrative-says-mea/article66408578.ece> . The second part, which aired on *BBC Two* at 9 P.M. local time, starts with a repeat of introductory scenes shown in the first part. It seeks to trace the evolution of the relationship between the Modi government and India’s Muslim minority. The series is sprinkled with graphic videos and images—starting with a 2017 lynching in Jharkhand. In its runtime of approximately 60 minutes, the second part discusses BJP’s unprecedented victory in 2019 <https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/election-results-2019-live-update/article27204776.ece> and what it means to have a government with a stronger mandate. “Essentially the gloves are off,” one of the commentators, Chris Ogden, a political scientist at the University of St. Andrews, says. The series then moves to August 5, 2019, and the changes to the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jk-loses-its-special-status-divided-into-two-uts/article61587397.ece> (i.e., the abrogation of Article 370 <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/explained-how-the-status-of-jammu-and-kashmir-is-being-changed/article28822866.ece>). It shows scenes of what are described as protests in Jammu and Kashmir, followed by a discussion on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/what-connects-the-npr-nric-and-census/article61602475.ece> and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) <https://www.thehindu.com/topic/citizenship-amendment-act/> protests, and the riots in Delhi in 2020 <https://www.thehindu.com/topic/delhi-violence-2020/>. The episode includes footage of security forces beating bleeding semi-conscious protestors <https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/read-them-the-riot-act-the-hindu-editorial-on-police-inaction-during-delhi-violence/article30993647.ece> who are being forced to sing the national anthem, even as they plead that they are “Bharatvasis” (Indians). The second part also includes interviews with protestors, families that have been detained under the NRC and the kin of those who died allegedly at the hands of the police during the Delhi violence of 2020. There are also scenes from Mr. Modi’s rally in Ahmedabad with then U.S. President Donald Trump <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/modi-is-a-tough-negotiator-says-trump/article30902681.ece> in February 2020. “Under Narendra Modi, India has been transformed. He remains enormously popular and hugely divisive,” the narrator says towards the end of the programme. The documentary has become the subject of some discussion among U.K. lawmakers. Uganda-born Indian-origin peers in the House of Lords, Dolar Popat, wrote to the director general of the *BBC*, Tim Davie, on Tuesday, condemning the documentary as “one-sided” and asking him to stop the *BBC* from airing the program to “avoid exasperating [sic] the already tense situation” between British Hindus and Muslims. The “false representation has old wounds [sic] by creating hatred between British Hindus and Muslims by attempting to paint India as an intolerant nation where Muslims are persecuted”, Mr. Popat said. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx *Under what emergency powers has the BBC documentary on PM Modi been blocked?* The directions to block the first episode of the BBC Documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’ were reportedly issued by the Information and Broadcasting Secretary on Friday using emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021. What are these powers? The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected the Modi documentary produced by BBC as a “propaganda piece” that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset. (File) The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting *has issued directions to block the first episode of the BBC Documentary <https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-narendra-modi-bbc-documentary-centre-blocks-tweets-youtube-videos-8396076/>* ‘India: The Modi Question’ on YouTube, informed sources said on Saturday (January 21). The social media platform Twitter was asked to block more than 50 tweets containing the links of the video on YouTube, the sources said. *Also in Explained | ‘Chargesheets are not public documents’: Breaking down the SC ruling <https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/chargesheets-not-public-documents-breaking-down-sc-ruling-8396054/>* The directions were reportedly issued by the Information and Broadcasting Secretary on Friday using emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021. Both YouTube and Twitter have complied with the directions, the sources said. *What are these emergency powers?* Rule 16 of the IT Rules, 2021 — formally known as the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 — notified on February 25, 2021, describes the government’s power with regard to “Blocking of information in case of emergency”. The Rule says that “In case of emergency nature, the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting may, if he is satisfied that it is necessary or expedient and justifiable for blocking for public access of any information or part thereof through any computer resource and…as an interim measure issue such directions as he may consider necessary to such identified or identifiable persons, publishers or intermediary in control of such computer resource hosting such information or part thereof without giving him an opportunity of hearing.” Such orders may be passed on certain specified grounds including national security and public order. *What has the government said about the documentary?* The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected the documentary produced by BBC as a “propaganda piece” that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset. The documentary was not made available in India by BBC, but it was available on YouTube for some time. Sources said that senior officials of ministries including the MEA, Home, and I&B have examined the documentary and found it to be an attempt to cast aspersions on the authority and credibility of the Supreme Court of India, sow divisions among various Indian communities, and make unsubstantiated allegations regarding actions of foreign governments in India. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx KR IRS 4 5 23 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZooeqtB_xvmrGDZ-6eoLHxNK%3DyPcc%2B_BCpoTVDetfD8RSQ%40mail.gmail.com.
