In a defamation action involving a documentary on Modi, an Indian court has issued a summons to the BBC.
allegations that the film tarnished India’s image by attacking the country’s judiciary and the prime minister.
According to reports out of India’s capital of New Delhi, on Monday the Delhi High Court issued a summons to the British broadcasting corporation BBC in a defamation case involving a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi that questioned his leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
According to the sources, the documentary “India: the Modi question” that aired earlier this year is being sued for defamation because it allegedly tarnished the name of India, its judiciary, and its prime minister.
The program prompted a strong reaction from the Indian government, and in February, Indian tax inspectors investigated BBC headquarters in New Delhi and Mumbai.
According to the media, Modi’s home state of Gujarat is where the lawsuit was filed. A message left with the BBC for comment went unanswered for some time.
At least a thousand people, the vast majority of them Muslims, were killed in riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002, and the documentary focused on Modi’s leadership as chief minister during those events. The number of deaths is estimated to be double that by activists.
Modi has refuted allegations that he did not do enough to quell the riots, and a probe ordered by the Supreme Court turned up no evidence to bring criminal charges against him. Last year, a petition asking for a new probe was rejected by the Supreme Court.
The government deemed the documentary, which did not air in India, to be biased “propaganda piece” and therefore prohibited its excerpts from being shared on social media.
For its part, the BBC has maintained that it “does not have an agenda” and is proud of the documentary’s reporting.
