Delhi HC refuses to grant urgent hearing to PIL on ban on BBC's 'India's Daughter'

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant early hearing to a public interest litigation on the ban on broadcast of BBC's documentary, India's daughter. The petition was mentioned before the Bench of Justices BD Ahmed and Vibhu Bakhru, which said, "It will be listed on Wednesday. Nothing so important, that it needs to be heard today."

The PIL has been filed by two law students and seeks directions from the Court to lift the ban imposed on the documentary. The petition states that the ban is against Article 19 of the Constitution and is a clear violation of their fundamental rights.

Another petition has been filed by another law student regarding the same issue and the petition states, "the documentary is nothing but an honest look at the mind and mindset of one of the convicted rapists of the young woman and unfortunately the same mindset has been endorsed by many Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Police officers in the past." The petition also states, "The respondents ban on the documentary is wholly illegal in view of the settled position of law as propounded in the judgement of R. Rajgopal vs. State of Tamil Nadu by the Supreme Court."

The documentary, India's Daughter,was stopped from being telecast after a Delhi Court's order. In addition, the Government had also issued an advisory, asking television networks not to broadcast the same.

You may read more about the Nirbhaya case here.

Read the Petition here.