The Evening Wrap: SC to hear plea to restrain from ‘censoring’ BBC documentary on February 3

The Supreme Court on January 30 agreed to list on February 3 a petition seeking a direction to restrain the government from “censoring” the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary titled ‘India: The Modi Question’. Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, senior advocate C.U. Singh made an oral mention of the petition filed by senior journalist N. Ram, Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra and advocate Prashant Bhushan for early listing. Union of India through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Twitter Communications India Private Limited and Google India Private Limited have been named respondents in the case. According to the plea, the Ministry, under Rule 16(3) of the Information Technology Rules of 2021 and Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act 2000, had on January 20, sent a legal request to Twitter India to block 50 tweets concerning and even containing links to the documentary. The tweets of Bhushan and Moitra were among those taken down. YouTube links of the video were blocked, the petition said. Petitioners also submitted that censoring free speech through opaque orders was manifestly arbitrary and curtailed the fundamental right to seek judicial review. EC withholds Lakshadweep Lok Sabha bypoll after Kerala HC suspends conviction, sentence of sitting MP The Election Commission of India withheld the bye-election to Lakshadweep Lok Sabha seat and deferred the issuance of notification for holding the bypoll after the Kerala High Court suspended conviction and sentence of sitting MP Mohammed Faizal. The Kerala High Court, on January 25, had suspended the conviction and sentence of Faizal in a case of attempted murder of Mohammed Salih, son-in-law of former Union Minister P.M. Sayeed, during the 2009 Lok sabha polls. On January 18, the poll body had announced bypoll to the Union Territory after the Nationalist Communist Party leader was suspended from the Lok Sabha after he was convicted by the sessions court in the attempt to murder case. The bypoll was to be held on February 27. The Kavarathi sessions court, on January 11, had sentenced Faizal and three others to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment on attempt-to-murder charge in what the prosecution claimed to be a politically motivated assault during the Lok Sabha election in 2009. After the Kerala High Court’s order, the Election Commission said in a statement, “after considering the matter and having due regard to the order passed by Hon’ble High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam...the Election Commission of India has decided to withhold the bye election and to defer the issuance of notification for holding the bye election.” Curtains come down on Bharat Jodo Yatra with flag unfurling, rally In a show of Opposition strength, leaders of several national and regional parties braved snowfall and bone-chilling cold to share the stage with Congress leaders at a rally organised to mark the culmination of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar. The Congress rally was held at the Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium amid tight security and heavy snowfall. Besides Congress president Mallikarjun Karge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Wayanad Lok Sabha MP was also joined by leaders from the DMK, the JMM, the BSP, the NC, the PDP, the CPI, the RSP, the VCK and the IUML. Several other leaders also expressed their support for the yatra. Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah asked former Congress president Rahul Gandhi to undertake another yatra from west to east of the country. During the course of the yatra, Gandhi had addressed 12 public meetings, over 100 corner meetings and 13 press conferences. He had over 275 planned walking interactions and more than 100 sitting interactions. Earlier in the day, Gandhi hoisted the national flag at the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ camp site in Panthachowk. With the rally, the curtains have come down on the yatra that traversed a dozen states and two Union territories in nearly five months after its launch on September 7 last year in Kanyakumari. Gandhi said the aim of his Bharat Jodo Yatra was to save the liberal and secular ethos of the country which, he claimed, was facing an assault from the BJP and the RSS. I&B Ministry issues guidelines requiring private broadcasters to undertake public service broadcasting for 30 minutes every day The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued the “Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels in India, 2022”. “The Guidelines, among other things, require private broadcasters to undertake public service broadcasting for 30 minutes every day,” the Ministry said in a release. “In this regard, the Ministry undertook extensive consultations with the private satellite TV channel Broadcasters and their Associations and based on their inputs an ‘Advisory’ has been issued,” the Ministry said. “It is also clarified that the content need not be of 30 minutes at a stretch and could be spread over smaller time slots and requires the broadcaster to submit a monthly report online on the Broadcast Seva Portal,” it added. “The theme for the broadcasting should comprise of content of national importance and of social relevance,” the Ministry said, adding that the themes include, “education and spread of literacy; agriculture and rural development; health and family welfare; science and technology; welfare of women; welfare of the weaker sections of the society; protection of environment and of cultural heritage; and national integration.” “The ‘Advisory’ seeks to achieve the objective of Public Service Broadcasting by private satellite TV channels through voluntary compliance and self-certification,” the Ministry concluded. Police officers among 33 dead and 150 wounded in suicide blast at a mosque in Pakistan’s Peshawar Police officers were among the 33 killed and 150 wounded in a blast at a mosque inside a highly sensitive Pakistani police headquarters, prompting the government to put the country on high alert. The attack happened during afternoon worship in the provincial capital of Peshawar, close to former tribal areas that border Afghanistan where militancy has been steadily rising. A frantic rescue mission was underway at the mosque, which had an entire wall and some of its roof blown out by the force of the blast. “Many policemen are buried under the rubble,” said Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan, who estimated between 300 and 400 officers usually attended prayers at the mosque. “Efforts are being made to get them out safely,” he said. Bloodied survivors emerged limping from the wreckage, while bodies were ferried away in ambulances as the rescue operation continued. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Ghulam Ali put the death toll at 28 and 150 wounded, most of them policemen. The police headquarters in Peshawar is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, housing intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus, and is next door to the regional secretariat. The country was put on high alert after the blast, with checkpoints ramped up and extra security forces deployed, while in the capital Islamabad snipers were deployed on buildings and at city entrance points. In Brief: India has taken up last weekend’s violence involving Khalistani groups and recent vandalisation of a prominent temple in Melbourne with the Australian authorities. High Commissioner of India Manpreet Vohra said the attacks by supporters of the Khalistan movement is detrimental to peace. The meeting was prompted against the backdrop of the vandalisation of the Swaminarayan temple on January 12 in which anti-India graffiti was left at the entrance of the temple premises. Following the incident, the temple authorities had called for calm and unity among the multicultural society of Australia. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 30 JANUARY 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Supreme Court to hear plea to restrain from ‘censoring’ BBC documentary on 2002 Gujarat riots on February 3 The [Supreme Court on January 30 agreed to list on February 3 a petition seeking a direction to restrain the government from “censoring” the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary]( titled ‘India: The Modi Question’. Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, senior advocate C.U. Singh made an oral mention of the petition filed by senior journalist N. Ram, Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra and advocate Prashant Bhushan for early listing. Union of India through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Twitter Communications India Private Limited and Google India Private Limited have been named respondents in the case. According to the plea, the Ministry, under Rule 16(3) of the Information Technology Rules of 2021 and Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act 2000, had on January 20, sent a legal request to Twitter India to block 50 tweets concerning and even containing links to the documentary. The tweets of Bhushan and Moitra were among those taken down. YouTube links of the video were blocked, the petition said. Petitioners also submitted that censoring free speech through opaque orders was manifestly arbitrary and curtailed the fundamental right to seek judicial review. EC withholds Lakshadweep Lok Sabha bypoll after Kerala HC suspends conviction, sentence of sitting MP The [Election Commission of India withheld the bye-election to Lakshadweep Lok Sabha seat]( and deferred the issuance of notification for holding the bypoll after the Kerala High Court suspended conviction and sentence of sitting MP Mohammed Faizal. The Kerala High Court, on January 25, had suspended the conviction and sentence of Faizal in a case of attempted murder of Mohammed Salih, son-in-law of former Union Minister P.M. Sayeed, during the 2009 Lok sabha polls. On January 18, the poll body had announced bypoll to the Union Territory after the Nationalist Communist Party leader was suspended from the Lok Sabha after he was convicted by the sessions court in the attempt to murder case. The bypoll was to be held on February 27. The Kavarathi sessions court, on January 11, had sentenced Faizal and three others to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment on attempt-to-murder charge in what the prosecution claimed to be a politically motivated assault during the Lok Sabha election in 2009. After the Kerala High Court’s order, the Election Commission said in a statement, “after considering the matter and having due regard to the order passed by Hon’ble High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam...the Election Commission of India has decided to withhold the bye election and to defer the issuance of notification for holding the bye election.” Curtains come down on Bharat Jodo Yatra with flag unfurling, rally In a show of Opposition strength, leaders of several national and regional parties braved snowfall and bone-chilling cold to share the stage with Congress leaders at a [rally organised to mark the culmination of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar](. The Congress rally was held at the Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium amid tight security and heavy snowfall. [Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the concluding event of the Bharat Jodo Yatra amid heavy snowfall in Srinagar. | Photo Credit: NISSAR AHMAD] Besides Congress president Mallikarjun Karge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Wayanad Lok Sabha MP was also joined by leaders from the DMK, the JMM, the BSP, the NC, the PDP, the CPI, the RSP, the VCK and the IUML. Several other leaders also expressed their support for the yatra. Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah asked former Congress president Rahul Gandhi to undertake another yatra from west to east of the country. During the course of the yatra, Gandhi had addressed 12 public meetings, over 100 corner meetings and 13 press conferences. He had over 275 planned walking interactions and more than 100 sitting interactions. Earlier in the day, Gandhi hoisted the national flag at the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ camp site in Panthachowk. With the rally, the curtains have come down on the yatra that traversed a dozen states and two Union territories in nearly five months after its launch on September 7 last year in Kanyakumari. Gandhi said the aim of his Bharat Jodo Yatra was to save the liberal and secular ethos of the country which, he claimed, was facing an assault from the BJP and the RSS. I&B Ministry issues guidelines requiring private broadcasters to undertake public service broadcasting for 30 minutes every day The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued the “Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels in India, 2022”. “[The Guidelines, among other things, require private broadcasters to undertake public service broadcasting for 30 minutes every day]( the Ministry said in a release. “In this regard, the Ministry undertook extensive consultations with the private satellite TV channel Broadcasters and their Associations and based on their inputs an ‘Advisory’ has been issued,” the Ministry said. “It is also clarified that the content need not be of 30 minutes at a stretch and could be spread over smaller time slots and requires the broadcaster to submit a monthly report online on the Broadcast Seva Portal,” it added. “The theme for the broadcasting should comprise of content of national importance and of social relevance,” the Ministry said, adding that the themes include, “education and spread of literacy; agriculture and rural development; health and family welfare; science and technology; welfare of women; welfare of the weaker sections of the society; protection of environment and of cultural heritage; and national integration.” “The ‘Advisory’ seeks to achieve the objective of Public Service Broadcasting by private satellite TV channels through voluntary compliance and self-certification,” the Ministry concluded. Police officers among 33 dead and 150 wounded in suicide blast at a mosque in Pakistan’s Peshawar [Police officers were among the 33 killed and 150 wounded in a blast at a mosque inside a highly sensitive Pakistani police headquarters]( prompting the government to put the country on high alert. The attack happened during afternoon worship in the provincial capital of Peshawar, close to former tribal areas that border Afghanistan where militancy has been steadily rising. [Police officers try to clear the way for ambulances carrying wounded people toward a hospital from a bomb explosion site in Peshawar, Pakistan.] A frantic rescue mission was underway at the mosque, which had an entire wall and some of its roof blown out by the force of the blast. “Many policemen are buried under the rubble,” said Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan, who estimated between 300 and 400 officers usually attended prayers at the mosque. “Efforts are being made to get them out safely,” he said. Bloodied survivors emerged limping from the wreckage, while bodies were ferried away in ambulances as the rescue operation continued. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Ghulam Ali put the death toll at 28 and 150 wounded, most of them policemen. The police headquarters in Peshawar is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, housing intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus, and is next door to the regional secretariat. The country was put on high alert after the blast, with checkpoints ramped up and extra security forces deployed, while in the capital Islamabad snipers were deployed on buildings and at city entrance points. In Brief: [India has taken up last weekend’s violence involving Khalistani groups and recent vandalisation of a prominent temple in Melbourne with the Australian authorities](. High Commissioner of India Manpreet Vohra said the attacks by supporters of the Khalistan movement is detrimental to peace. The meeting was prompted against the backdrop of the vandalisation of the Swaminarayan temple on January 12 in which anti-India graffiti was left at the entrance of the temple premises. Following the incident, the temple authorities had called for calm and unity among the multicultural society of Australia. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. First Day First Show Stay up-to-date on all things cinema with the "First Day First Show" cinema & entertainment newsletter. Every week, we bring you movie reviews, news from regional cinema, Bollywood, Hollywood, and beyond, as well as updates from the streaming platforms. Whether you're a cinephile or just looking for your next great binge-watch, we've got you covered. 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