New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the police authorities of seven states to ensure protection for officials of Discovery Communications India, who are allegedly facing threats after the release of the documentary series 'Cult of Fear: Asaram Bapu'. The documentary was released on Discovery's OTT Platform Discovery+.
The matter came up before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Vishwanathan. The top court directed the state governments to ensure protection to petitioners Shashank Walia and others, staff of Discovery India, and their offices. The petitioners’ filed the plea through advocate Siddhartha Sinha and were represented by senior advocate Abhinav Mukerji before the bench led by the CJI.
Mukerji contended that the police had failed to act, and after a recent incident at its Mumbai office, Discovery asked its employees not to come to work. The bench observed that it may not be possible for the petitioners to approach different high courts and issued notice to the Centre and the authorities in Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.
The top court asked the police authorities to ensure that no threats, by way of physical harm, are extended to the petitioners.
"Discovery Communications India (Petitioner No. 7 / Discovery) released the Documentary series on its OTT platform Discovery+ on 29.01.2025. The series sheds light on the life of Asaram Bapu, a self-proclaimed spiritual leader currently serving a life sentence for crimes including rape and murder since 2018. It presents factual insights based on public records, witness testimonials and judicial records," said the plea filed in the top court.
The plea said on January 30, 2025, a group of 10-15 individuals gathered outside Discovery's office, attempting unauthorised entry and creating a law and order situation and added that though the police dispersed the crowd, no concrete action was taken against the perpetrators.
"Following the release, self-proclaimed supporters/ fans/ followers/devotees of Asaram Bapu have threatened the petitioners and their colleagues and other similarly situated persons with violence, hate crimes and criminal intimidation, violating their fundamental rights as enshrined under Articles 14, 19(l)(a) and (g), and 21 of the Constitution," said the plea.
The plea said petitioners and their colleagues continue to receive threats, forcing Discovery to mandate work-from-home arrangements for employee safety. "This has created a house arrest situation, adversely affecting their right to life and liberty. Hate comments and threats have also been directed at Discovery and its employees on social media platforms further exacerbating the situation," contended the plea.