SC to hear on Nov 25 plea seeking take down of video allegedly demonising Muslims

New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday said it would hear on November 25 a plea seeking directions to social media platform X and the handle 'BJP Assam Pradesh' to take down a video that allegedly "openly targets, vilifies and demonizes Muslims".

The matter was mentioned before a bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta.

The counsel appearing for the applicant said the apex court had on October 7 issued notice on the application and the matter was directed to be listed on October 28.

He said the matter was not listed for hearing on October 28.

The bench said the application would come up for hearing on November 25.

On October 7, the apex court agreed to hear the application which claimed that the video was circulated by the BJP's Assam unit on September 15 on its official X handle 'BJP Assam Pradesh' showing a "grossly false narrative that depicts the takeover of Assam by Muslims if the BJP doesn't remain in power in Assam".

It said the video depicts the consequences of a change in the present ruling dispensation and shows visibly Muslim people (wearing skull caps and burqas) taking over tea estates, Guwahati airport and Guwahati town.

"It is submitted that as the ruling dispensation, BJP-Assam is bound by the Constitution of India and thereby is bound to uphold the secular values that form part of the basic structure of the Constitution. However, the video circulated by its official twitter openly targets, vilifies and demonizes Muslims," stated the application, filed through advocate Lzafeer Ahmad.

It said a state government is the guardian of all communities and is specifically prohibited by the Constitution from engaging in discrimination on the basis of religion, race, caste, gender and language.

"Thus, the burden of being fair, just and secular is far greater on an elected government," it said.

The application claimed the video was shared on the official X handle of BJP Assam and as on September 18, reposted 6,100 times, liked 19,000 times and viewed 4.6 million times.

"Thus, the same is required to be taken down immediately to contain any further spread of communal disharmony, unrest and enmity," it said.

The application sought directions to X India Pvt Ltd and BJP's Assam unit for taking down of the video posted on the social media platform.

The application was filed in a pending matter which has raised the issue of hate speeches. PTI ABA ZMN