The Supreme Court on next Monday will hear pleas challenging the Centre’s decision to block the BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Senior journalist N Ram, advocate Prashant Bhushan and TMC MP Mahua Moitra have filed public interest litigations on this regard. Lawyers ML Sharma and CU Singh too have approached the apex court on this matter.
After hearing the submissions, the bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala decided to post all the PILs on February 6.
“People were being arrested. Please list it urgently,” ML Sharma submitted. “You can speak to social media from elsewhere. It will be listed on Monday,” the bench said. The petitions said that Centre’s decision to block the documentary, alleging it was “malafide, arbitrary and unconstitutional”.
Meanwhile, reacting to the news report on this Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said these kinds of petitions waste the time of the courts.
“This is how they waste the precious time of Hon’ble Supreme Court where thousands of common citizens are waiting and seeking dates for Justice,” Tweeted Rijiju.
Moitra responded in her counter tweet: “All the king’s men…. Couldn’t put Humpty together again.” She also told the Law Minister to concentrate on the long pending appointments in the courts.