On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition urging the Union Government and Prasar Bharti to establish a 24-hour Doordarshan television channel in SIndhi. The petition aimed to preserve the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Sindhi community, recognized as a linguistic minority in India.
The petition was presented by Sindhi Sangat, challenging the dismissal of similar pleas by the Delhi High Court, which stated that a mandamus could not be issued for the creation of a separate language channel. The bench, comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, noted that Article 29 of the Constitution does not grant an absolute right for the establishment of a dedicated channel. Chief Justice Chandrachud highlighted that the right claimed under Article 29 for preserving the Sindhi language does not necessitate a separate channel.
The Counsel for the petitioner Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, argued against the criteria used by Doordarshan for launching language channels, which she claimed were based on territoriality. She contended that Sindhis, being a refugee community without a designated state, should not be subjected to a strict policy that disregards their linguistic needs. However, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud pointed out that these issues were not raised before the High Court, and the request was merely for a separate channel.
Jaising emphasized the importance of public broadcasting in preserving a language, while Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud noted that other methods of language preservation exist. He expressed scepticism about whether a separate channel could be mandated under Article 29 and mentioned that community characteristics could influence the efficacy of public broadcasting. The Court reiterated that the dismissal of the petition pertains solely to the specific requests made and does not preclude further discussions on the matter.