SC stays Sudarshan TV’s controversial show broadcast

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the broadcast of Bindas Bol aired by Sudarshan news channel till further orders, prima facie observing that the object of the programme is to vilify the Muslim community and accuse it of surreptitiously trying to infiltrate the civil services.

“Episodes broadcast till now show the nature and objective of the programme. Pending further orders of the court, Sudarshan News stands injuncted from making any more broadcasts on this subject on any other name too”, a three-judge Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud ordered.

The court said it was “insidious” to use the freedom of press to make “rabid” allegations and mount an attack on a religious minority community.

The court said, “The edifice of a stable democratic society and observance of constitutional rights and duties is based on the co-existence of communities… India is a melting pot of civilisations, cultures and values… Any attempt to vilify a community must be viewed with disfavour”.

The court noted that it was duty-bound to ensure adherence to the Programme Code framed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.

Justice Chandrachud said “as the Supreme Court of the nation, we cannot allow you to say that Muslims are infiltrating civil services”.

The court was hearing a plea alleging that the show makes communal remarks about the entry of members of the Muslim community into the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). At one point, it said, the anchor used phrase “UPSC jihad”.