New Delhi: A Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud is hearing a plea against the controversial Sudarshan TV’s “UPSC Jihad” show touted as a ”big expose on the conspiracy” regarding Muslims “infiltrating government service.” Justice Indu Malhotra has too joined the hearing, according to Bar and Bench
Justice Chandrachud
During the hearing on Friday, Justice DY Chandrachud said that the issue is the show implicates a whole community as taking over the civil services.
“You want to say that Muslims joining civil services is a part of a deep rooted conspiracy. Can the media be allowed to target whole sets of communities?” he asked, according to Bar and Bench.
“Let a message go to media that a particular community cannot be targeted. We have to look after a nation of the future which is cohesive and diverse. We recognise national security but we need to respective individual respect too,” Bar and Bench quotes Justice Chandrachud as saying.
Justice KM Joseph
Justice KM Joseph said to senior advocate Shyam Divan, who is appearing for Sudarshan TV, “You have put up a cocktail of various factors but at the bottom you are maligning an entire community.”
In an affidavit filed on Thursday, Suresh Chavhanke, Editor-in-Chief of the channel, sought lifting of the stay from airing the remaining six episodes and said that there was no justification to continue the pre-telecast/prior restraint direction.
Centre has also filed an affidavit in the matter and said if the Supreme Court decides on the issue of media regulation then such an exercise should be undertaken with the digital media first as it has faster reach and information has the potential to go viral due to applications like WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook, PTI reported.
The government told the apex court that sufficient framework and judicial pronouncements exist for the electronic and the print media.
The Supreme Court had restrained the channel on Tuesday from telecasting the the next segment of the show, saying that the intent of the episodes prima facie appeared to vilify the Muslim community. It had on Friday adjourned the hearing in the Sudarshan TV case till 21 September.