Gujarat NGO Withdraws Defamation Suit Against BBC Over Modi Documentary

A Gujarat-based registered society, Justice for All, has withdrawn its defamation suit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and its Indian arm, BBC World Service India Pvt. Ltd. The suit had alleged that the broadcaster's 2023 two-part documentary made false and defamatory insinuations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian judiciary, and the criminal justice system.

The trust sought the court's permission to withdraw the suit on September 3. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela of the concerned court allowed the request and dismissed the proceedings as withdrawn.

Justice for All had originally filed the suit as a "suit for damages," seeking permission to file as an "indigent person." Under the Civil Procedure Code, an indigent person is someone without sufficient means to pay court fees. Such suits, formerly known as "pauper suits," are only available to those unable to pay due to poverty. If the indigent person succeeds, the state government recovers court fees from the party ordered to pay by the decree. However, if the suit is withdrawn, dismissed, or the permission is revoked, the indigent person must pay the court fees.

The court had issued notices to the respondents, including the BBC's UK broadcasting arm and its India operations, in May 2023.

The documentary, titled India: The Modi Question, was released in January 2023 and focused on the 2002 Gujarat riots and the response of then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his state government. The central government had described the film as a "propaganda piece that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset."

The documentary was not made available in India by the BBC. Its release sparked a political controversy, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed YouTube and Twitter to take down links sharing the film, citing emergency provisions of the Information Technology Rules, 2021. The ministry alleged the documentary cast aspersions on the authority and credibility of the Supreme Court of India, sowed divisions among communities, and made unsubstantiated allegations regarding actions of foreign governments in India.