Sudarshan News Row: Supreme Court Stops Channel From Airing ‘UPSC Jihad’ Show, Says ‘Programme Tries To Vilify Muslims’

The Supreme Court on September 15 restrained Hindi channel ‘Sudarshan News’ from telecasting a controversial programme, which sought to ‘expose’ a ‘conspiracy to infiltrate Muslims’ into the Indian civil services. The channel had termed the alleged conspiracy ‘bureaucracy jihad’ & ‘UPSC jihad’. SC said it won’t allow television channels to broadcast programmes that seek to disturb communal harmony. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and K M Joseph observed verbally, brushing aside arguments of Sudarshan News that the restraint order impinges on journalistic freedom. The bench was hearing a petition filed to stop the telecast of the controversial programme that is part of a series called ‘Bindas Bol’, hosted by the channels’ Editor-in-Chief Suresh Chavhanke. “There will be no telecast of the show in continuation of the shows already telecasted either under the same or a different caption. Any attempt to vilify a community must be viewed with great disfavour by this court, which is a custodian of constitutional rights, “said the Supreme Court. The court will take up the matter again on September 17.