Several former civil servants have moved the Supreme Court seeking to intervene in a petition for a ban on the broadcast of a programme on Sudarshan TV making derogatory remarks about “the entry of Muslims in the civil services”.
The intervention application filed by seven retired bureaucrats, led by Amitabha Pande, sought an authoritative pronouncement on hate speech from the court.
The application wants to intervene in the pending case filed by advocate Firoz Iqbal Khan about the channel programme.
On August 28, a Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud had refused a pre-telecast ban of the programme.
However, the court posted the plea by Mr. Khan for hearing on September 15. The court said the petition raises “significant issues”. It noted that the issue highlighted views which have a “divisive potential”.
“Consistent with the fundamental right to free speech and expression, the court will need to foster a considered a debate on the setting up of standards of self- regulation,” the apex court had observed.
The court, however, had issued notice to the Centre, the Press Council of India, the News Broadcasters Association and Sudarshan News.
