India’s Daughter: Hearing on documentary’s ban on March 11

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to give urgent hearing to a PIL seeking lifting of the ban on telecast of a controversial documentary featuring an interview of one of the four convicts in the December 16 gangrape case.

The court said there is no urgency in the matter and it will be heard on March 11. A Bench of justices B.D. Ahmed and Vibhu Bakhru said, “It will be listed on Wednesday. Nothing so important, that it needs to be heard today.”

Two law students Arun Menon and Kritika Padode in their PIL sought an urgent hearing, saying the ban on the documentary is a clear violation of their fundamental rights under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

The duo approached the high court after a trial court on March 4 had banned until further orders the broadcast of the interview of December 16, 2012 gangrape convict Mukesh Singh.

Delhi police commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi on Monday said that they were “examining the raw footage of the BBC documentary”. Sources said the filmmaker might be interrogated.