Supreme Court tells Centre to restrict programmes that instigate violence

The apex court noted that such control over content that instigate people to violence is an important part of maintaining law and order situation.

A bench of Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian was hearing petitions by Jamiat-Ulema-I-Hind, Peace Party and some others over coverage of Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi in 2020.

SC has issued notices to the Centre, Press Council of India and the Broadcasting Association.

The petitioners alleged that the meeting, which had turned into a Covid hotspot, was communalised by a section of the media.

The Centre told the court that it had curbed the broadcast of such programmes in certain cases. However, the court said the government doesn't do enough to filter out such content and such instigation could be against any community.

"Fact is that there are programmes which has the effect of instigating people. You (the government) do nothing about it. It can happen either way. Instigation can be against either community,"  Bobde said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the government, was quoted as saying by NDTV: "We can give details on how many cases government powers are used. But in a live chat show, there is no control, and if one says something atrocious, it cannot be stopped. There is group, which is monitoring, and action taken, and we had stopped telecast for a week or so."

"We are not interested in stopping people saying anything. We are concerned with broadcast that can instigate people leading to riots. These days people say anything on television. Let them do it," said Justice Bobde.

The court said it wanted the government to refine the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act.

Broadcasting Association's lawyer told the court that it has powers and it has taken measures and erring channels had tendered apology.

The case will be taken up in three weeks, the report added.