Supreme Court has stayed the “Bindaas Bol” episodes of Sudarshan TV from being telecast. Yesterday, the Court has heard the matter once again and felt that there was a change in circumstances over its past hearing, dated 28 August 2020.

A three Judges bench comprising, Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, Justice Indu Malhotra and Justice K. M. Joseph in their 9 pages Order said,

 “On the basis of what has been aired, we are of the view that it will be necessary to interdict any further telecast. Consequently, we direct that pending further orders of this Court the fifth respondent shall stand injuncted from making any further telecast in continuation of or similar to the episodes which were telecast on 11, 12, 13 and 14 September 2020 either under the same or any other title or caption.”   

The Court has posted the matter for further hearing on 17 September 2020 and instructed Counter Affidavits may be filed in the meantime.

Sudarshan TV has been telecasting a programme Bindaas Bol, wherein it vilifies particular minority community on the topic – UPSC Jihad. The Channel claims that the minority Muslims are covertly attempting to enter into Civil Services and the episode puts the figure at 3% rise in their entries into such coveted IAS, IPS jobs. It termed such rise in civil service aspirants in the Muslim community to that of Jihad – waging war – and ran its show under UPSC Jihad.

Earlier, when this matter brought to the notice of the Supreme Court through a writ petition, the Court declined to grant pre-telecast injunction and it said in its 28 August 2020 dated Order;

“At this stage, we have desisted from imposing pre-broadcast interlocutory injunction on the basis of an unverified transcript of a forty nine second clip.” Further, in its Order, the Court said that the competent authorities were vested with powers to comply with the rule of law so to protect social harmony and the peaceful coexistence of all communities.

There were widespread anguish expressed by the civil society over Channel’s unwarranted telecast, which not only defamatory towards minority Muslims but it also undermined the sanctity of the institution; UPSC, they said in a press release.

On 03-09-2020 in its editorial faqsonlaw carried this matter https://faqsonlaw.in/2020/09/03/unfair-media-trial-no-way-to-go/