Supreme Court Intervenes: Notices Issued Over Threats to Discovery Employees in Asaram Bapu Documentary Case
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Supreme Court has issued notices to the central and state governments on Thursday regarding a petition filed by Discovery Channel employees, who allegedly received threats following the controversy surrounding the documentary series *‘Cult of Fear: Asaram Bapu’*. The bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar directed the state governments to ensure the safety of the petitioners, Shashank Walia and others, as well as their offices. The states that received the notice include Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal, and Delhi. The petition claims that after the documentary was launched on Discovery's OTT platform on January 25, employees of the channel were being threatened by self-proclaimed followers of Asaram Bapu. Senior Advocate Abhinav Mukherjee, representing the petitioners, stated that despite complaints, no action had been taken by the authorities to address the threats from the goons.
The petitioners argued that they have a genuine fear that self-proclaimed supporters of Asaram Bapu have resorted to violence, brutality, or other criminal acts against Discovery, its subsidiaries, parent companies, and its employees, including petitioners. They further claimed that these supporters may continue such actions in the future. The threats made by Asaram's supporters violate the petitioners' fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19(1)(A), (G), and 21 of the Constitution. The petitioners argued that the documentary released by Discovery serves the public interest by shedding light on the activities of a convicted individual and providing a balanced perspective on blind faith and cults.
The petition states, "The threats and opposition faced by the petitioners and their associates is an attempt by an antisocial element to suppress creative rights and the freedom of speech and expression, which is not only harmful to democratic values but also constitutes an illegal and criminal act under the provisions of BNS and BNSSS, 2023." The petition filed before the Supreme Court further claims that threatening comments have been made on Discovery's social media handles, describing the campaign as hateful and negative. These comments reportedly include sexual, religious, and political remarks, and the petitioners claimed that these comments were not limited to these topics alone.
The petitioners also claimed that on January 30, 2025, an incident occurred outside Discovery's office in Mumbai, where around 10 to 15 people gathered outside the office premises and attempted to gain unauthorized access. It is alleged that supporters, fans, followers, and devotees of Asaram Bapu and his son surrounded Discovery’s premises, posing a serious threat to the petitioners' safety. The petition also alleged that these individuals threatened the petitioners and others in similar situations, saying that if the broadcast of the documentary on Asaram Bapu was not stopped within 48 hours, large-scale movements would be initiated by all Hindu organizations. These movements would target Discovery employees, petitioners, and others in similar situations.
The petitioners have stated that they filed complaints with police officers in the concerned cities and states, demanding police protection and action against the individuals and groups involved in the threats and protests. However, the petitioners alleged that no concrete action has been taken by the police officers so far. The threats are reportedly increasing and continue to be made on social media and in person.
