The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Centre to respond to two petitions which have alleged that the Aaj Tak news channel has “unleashed an offensive and potentially fatal communal attack” on the Sikh community by circulating unverified videos of the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day.
A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Press Council of India (PCI), News Broadcaster Association (NBA) and Aaj Tak news channel, seeking their stand on the two similar petitions by February 26, the next date of hearing.
Viral video
The petitions filed by Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Delhi resident Manjit Singh G.K. have stated that the Aaj Tak news channel ran a video alleging that the protesters were involved in desecrating the ‘Shikhara’ of the ‘tableaus’ of Uttar Pradesh, which is symbolic of the “Ram Janmabhoomi Temple” being constructed in Ayodhya.
The petitions filed separately through advocates B.S. Bagga and Parminder Singh Goindi, contended that the said video is being widely circulated in various social and digital medial platforms, including YouTube.
It said that the campaign directed against a particular community, especially at a time when public sentiments are flared up could result in disastrous consequences for the community, including endangering the lives, property and liberty of the people belonging to the “Sikh” community.
‘Infiltration of protests’
The pleas also claimed that “due to infiltration of the protests by certain anti-social and ill-motivated elements, the tractor rally was met by severe and brutal assaults by the police authorities and the bad elements utilised the opportunity to create ruckus amongst the public with the object of delegitimising the protests”.
The pleas have sought direction to constitute a committee for the fake news on various social handles.