Don’t bar Ayodhya telecast on flimsy grounds: Supreme Court to Tamil Nadu

New Delhi, January 22

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Tamil Nadu Government not to ban live telecast of the Ram Mandir consecration at Ayodhya and related events even as the state government denied having issued any such oral orders.

Permission for telecast of the event can’t be denied on the ground that Hindus were a “minority” in a particularly area, a Bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta said while hearing an urgent petition filed by a Tamil Nadu BJP member who alleged that the state government had issued oral orders banning telecast of Ram Mandir consecration event.

“This is a homogenous society… Do not prevent only on the ground that A or B community is there,” said Justice Khanna. What kind of reasons are given for rejection… how can a reason be given that Hindus are a minority at some place so you will not allow it? These reasons are atrocious. If this reason has to follow then it cannot happen across the state,” Justice Datta said.

On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Government, senior counsel Amit Anand Tiwari said, “There are no restrictions at all… these are just politically motivated pleas.”

The SC asked the state to maintain data of the permissions for telecast and posted the matter for further listing on next Monday.