sc-to-hear-plea-on-video-allegedly-vilifying-muslims-on-25-nov

The Supreme Court on Friday fixed November 25, for hearing a plea seeking the removal of a video from the official X handle of ‘BJP Assam Pradesh’, which the applicant alleges “openly targets, vilifies and demonizes Muslims”.

 

The matter came up before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta after counsel for the applicant pointed out that the case, originally listed for October 28, had not been placed before the court on that date. The bench directed that the application be taken up on the next scheduled date.

 

The plea refers to a video posted on September 15 by the BJP’s Assam unit on its verified social media handle, claiming it portrays “a grossly false narrative that depicts the takeover of Assam by Muslims if the BJP doesn't remain in power in Assam”. According to the application, the video shows “visibly Muslim people (wearing skull caps and burqas) taking over tea estates, Guwahati airport and Guwahati town”.

 

Filed through advocate Lzafeer Ahmad, the plea asserts that the party, being part of the ruling dispensation in Assam, is constitutionally obligated to uphold secular values and ensure that no community is subjected to discrimination.

 

Also read: Assam BJP's video on illegal immigrants triggers outrage

 

“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,” the application stated.

 

It further argued that a state government is the guardian of all communities and must remain neutral on matters 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 plea noted that by September 18, the video had been reposted 6,100 times, liked 19,000 times and viewed 4.6 million times, underscoring the scale of its circulation. The applicant contends that its continued presence may aggravate “communal disharmony, unrest and enmity”, necessitating immediate removal.

 

Directions have also been sought against X India Pvt Ltd and the party’s Assam unit to ensure the video is taken down. The application has been filed in a pending matter concerning hate speech