PM Modi Documentary: Delhi HC Issues Summons To BBC on Defamation Suit

The Delhi High Court has issued summons to UK broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) pertaining to a defamation suit moved by a Gujarat based Non-Government Organisation (NGO) claiming that the a two-part documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi published by them has cast a slur on the reputation of India and its judiciary.

On Monday, the bench of Justice Sachin Dutta issued the summons to defendants including BBC and listed for further consideration in September. 

Senior Advocate Harish Salve appeared for the plaintiff organisation and submitted that the documentary has defamed India and the judiciary also.

Recently, Rohini court in Delhi had also issued summons to the BBC on a plea seeking a direction restraining the defendants from publishing the BBC documentary based on PM Modi. 

The petitioner Binay Kumar Singh has petitioned the Rohini district court to pass an order restraining the Defendants restraining them including their agents, etc. to cease the publishing of the two-volume documentary series "India: The Modi Question" or any other defamatory material pertaining to the Plaintiff, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa HinduParishad (VHP) on the platforms of Wikimedia and Internet Archive or any other online or offline platforms.

He has also sought to pass a direction to the defendants ordering them to tender an unconditional apology to the Plaintiff and to RSS and VHP for the libellous and defamatory content published in the two-volume documentary series. 

The BBC had aired the two-volume documentary series "India: The Modi Question" in January 2023. Through the documentary, BBC claims that there are rising tensions between PM Modi and the country's Muslim minority; there is an alarming rise of hate crimes and extreme politics in India, particularly targeting the Muslim community. 

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