Communalisation of Tablighi Jamaat: "Freedom of Speech is one of the most abused freedoms in recent times", CJI Bobde observes

Chief Justice of India SA Bobde today pulled up Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for filing an affidavit stating that there "were no instances of bad reporting" regarding the communalisation of the Tablighi Jamaat issue..The Court also asked why the affidavit filed by the Centre was filed by a junior-level officer, and termed it as being "evasive and brazen"..The Bench of CJI SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian has now sought a fresh affidavit to be filed by a Secretary-level officer in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. .[Tablighi Jamaat] Compelling Markaz attendees to undergo trial would be grave injustice: Bombay HC quashes FIRs against Myanmarese citizens.When the matter was taken up for hearing today, CJI Bobde said,."You cannot treat the Court how you are treating it. The affidavit is by some junior officer. The affidavit is evasive and says the petitioner shows no instance of bad reporting. You may not agree, but how you can say there is no instance of bad reporting shown? Secretary of the department must file an affidavit and avoid any unnecessary and nonsensical averments as made now."CJI Bobde.SG Mehta has now submitted that a fresh affidavit will be filed by a Secretary-level officer, and that the fresh document would be "vetted by him.".Referring to Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, the Bench noted that the Act only covers cable TV signals, and asked if the government had the power to ban such signals. CJI Bobde asked,"This power is exercisable only in relation to cable TV networks and not in relation to TV signals like Doordarshan etc. Does the government have any power to ban the signals? Their affidavit says they had issued advisories.".Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the Act covered cable TV communications too. Dave has now been asked to prove this point in Court on the next date of hearing..The plea filed by Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind on the issue of communalization of the Tablighi Jamaat gathering will now be heard after two weeks. .As the hearing drew to a close, CJI Bobde observed,."Freedom of speech is one of the most abused freedoms in the recent times."CJI SA Bobde.On 6 April, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had moved the Apex Court through advocate Ejaz Maqbool claiming that the media had communalised the event and "demonised the Muslim community".The petition sought strict action against media houses that allegedly "spread bigotry and communal hatred in relation to the Nizamuddin Markaz issue"..Breaking: Petition filed in Supreme Court seeking action against media for communalizing Nizamuddin Markaz issue