TV Show ‘Fatah Ka Fatwa’ Stopped: Centre Tells Delhi High Court

The Centre today told the Delhi High Court that telecast of the episodes of a TV series ‘Fatah Ka Fatwa’ has been stopped after complaints against it for allegedly promoting enmity between communities.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar was informed that the last episode of the programme was shown on 7 May. “The channel (airing the show) was a member of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA). Hence, the complaints were referred to the NBA for taking an appropriate action in the matter.

“Further it is stated that the telecast of the programme (Fatah Ka Fatwa) has stopped,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in its affidavit filed by Central Government Standing Counsel Dev P Bhardwaj. Taking note of the Centre’s stand, the bench disposed of the public interest litigation (PIL).

The Centre’s reply came on a PIL seeking to immediately halt all future episodes of ‘Fatah Ka Fatwa’, alleging that it promoted enmity between communities. The bench had asked the ministry to place before it whether there was any substance in the allegation levelled by the petitioner.

The court had issued the direction during the hearing of a PIL by a Uttar Pradesh resident, Hifzur Rehman Khan, who had alleged that the TV programme hosted by Tarek Fatah, a Canadian writer and liberal activist, was trying to promote enmity between Muslims and non-Muslims in the country by giving “baseless arguments about religion”.

Asking the court to seize all materials relating to the programme, the PIL had urged that the authorities concerned should be asked to frame guidelines for telecast of such TV shows, alleging that the host “placed misleading facts” on television. ‘Fatah Ka Fatwa’ was first aired on 7 January.