Demand to ban BBC in India rejected, SC refuses to hear Hindu Sena's plea

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking a complete ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in India, saying it was completely wrong. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and MM Sundresh passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Vishnu Gupta, president of Hindu Sena, and Birender Kumar Singh, a farmer. "The writ petition is totally misconceived and has no merit. Hence, it stands dismissed," the bench said.

Alleging that the BBC has been biased against India and the Indian government, the petition alleges that its documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "the result of a deep-rooted conspiracy against the global rise of India and its Prime Minister".

The petition alleged, "The inclusion of PM Modi in the BBC documentary film relating to the 2002 Gujarat violence is not only a reflection of the anti-Narendra Modi propaganda cold aired to tarnish his image, but it is also a reflection of India's social fabric by the BBC- There is anti-Hindu propaganda to destroy Bane. The apex court had also on February 3 directed the central government to produce the original records relating to its decision to block the BBC documentary. On 21 January, the government issued instructions to block several YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial documentary.