Our discussion in this episode is on issues arising from the Sudarshan TV news case that is currently under consideration by the Supreme Court. Sudarshan TV is a private channel which aired a series of episodes of a programme called ‘UPSC Jihad’ and claimed that it had uncovered a plot in which Muslims were “infiltrating” the civil services.
Last week, a very angry Supreme Court clearly stated that the show was an attempt to vilify Muslims. It granted an injunction on the telecast of the programme, stopping it for the time being, and also said it was going decide how to — and if at all it must — rule on broader questions including the point at which free speech in the media crosses the rubicon to insult a community or breach its dignity, and could thus be considered hate speech. We’ll pick up on that second thread in this episode and take the discussion forward, looking at the questions of law as regarding hate speech in India that the Supreme Court now has an opportunity to bring some clarity on in this case.
Guest: Suhrith Parthasarathy, Advocate, Madras High Court
Find the In Focus podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for In Focus by The Hindu.
Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in