Mansa (Punjab): A local court in Mansa heard the petition filed by Balkaur Singh, father of slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, against the BBC documentary “The Killing Call” based on the singer’s life and assassination. As of now, two episodes of the documentary have already been released.
During the hearing on Monday, Balkaur Singh did not submit a reply to the objections raised by BBC. The Duty Magistrate, Additional Civil Judge Ankit Aeri, granted time until July 1 for filing the response and directed Balkaur Singh to submit his reply on the next date.
According to Balkaur Singh’s lawyer Satinder Pal Singh, no arguments were presented on Monday, nor were any additional directions issued. The court accepted the petitioner’s request to submit the response by the next hearing.
Petition Filed on June 10
The civil writ was filed by Balkaur Singh on June 10 against BBC, journalist Ishleen Kaur, and program producer Ankur Jain, objecting to the screening and release of the documentary.
BBC’s Objection: Petition Filed Against Wrong Entity
BBC’s counsel, Balwant Bhatia, argued that in the previous hearing on June 16, it was clarified that the petition was wrongly filed against BBC India, while the documentary was produced by BBC World Service, a UK-based entity.
Bhatia further stated that BBC India had no role in the production of the documentary. Its involvement was limited to plans for screening in India. The documentary has been released globally via YouTube by BBC World Service and is already available on social media platforms.
The next hearing is scheduled for July 1, by which time Balkaur Singh is expected to submit his reply to BBC’s objections.
