Days after Supreme Court stayed the telecast of the programme based on the theme of ‘UPSC Jihad’, Sudarshan News TV has filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking live telecast of the hearing in the case against its show “Bindas Bol”.
According to the reports, Sudarshan News has filed a plea in the apex court asking for a live telecast of proceedings in the case through audio-visual broadcasting/telecasting universally by an official agency.
The petitioners arguing on behalf of Sudarshan News cited a 2018 judgment in the Swapnil Tripathi case, that states, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant & that live streaming as an extension of the principle of open courts will ensure that the interface between a court hearing with virtual reality will result in the dissemination of information in the widest possible sense”.
Interestingly, Justice DY Chandrachud, who is hearing the Sudarshan News plea, was one of the judges who had himself authored a judgment in 2018 in favour of live-streaming.
Suresh Chavhanke, who is the head of the Sudarshan News, took to social media to state that they are willing to arrange for the entire technical requirements for the live telecast of the court proceedings.
कोर्ट की सुनवाई का लाइव टेलिकास्ट करने के लिए हमने सर्वोच्च न्यायालय में प्रार्थना पत्र दिया है। सुदर्शन की #UPSC_Jihad कार्यक्रम पर रोक के संदर्भ में शुक्रवार दोपहर 12 बजे से सुनवाई होनी है। इसके लिए संपूर्ण तकनीकी व्यवस्था हम करने के लिए तैयार हैं। https://t.co/Ut34hx1cbQ
— Suresh Chavhanke “Sudarshan News” (@SureshChavhanke) September 17, 2020
Supreme Court stays Sudarshan News’ ‘UPSC Jihad’ show
On September 15, a three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by DY Chandrachud had passed an order restraining the telecast of the programme Sudarshan News show ‘UPSC Jihad’.
The court had ordered to stay the telecast after it had observed that the ‘object, intent and the purpose of the show was to vilify the Muslim community’.
The Supreme Court had claimed that there was an “insidious attempt to malign a community” and stated that a constitutional court cannot allow the vilification of any community in a pluralistic society.
Four episodes of the programme have already been aired after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting gave its nod subject to the condition that the programme did not violate the programme code of conduct.
On 28 August, Sudarshan News chief editor Suresh Chavhanke had posted a video of the show, where he had informed that the channel is analysing claims showing a sudden increase in the number of Muslims selected in various posts in administrative and police services in the country, along with an increase in marks obtained by Muslim candidates in compared with others.
He had announced that the show will be the channel’s big campaign against the ‘bureaucracy jihad’ and ‘UPSC Jihad’ and had warned in the video saying ‘imagine jihadis from Jamia becoming your district commissioner and secretaries in every ministry’.
