Doordarshan v Anand Patwardhan (2006) | Father, Son and Holy War Case Explained

Case 8 of 30 in Law Easy's Media Law series. Director General, Doordarshan v. Anand Patwardhan, Supreme Court of India, decided 2006. FACTS Anand Patwardhan's documentary Father, Son and Holy War, on communal violence, masculinity and the oppression of women, won two National Awards in 1995. The Board had given its first part a U certificate and its second part an A certificate, yet Doordarshan refused to telecast it. The Bombay High Court directed Doordarshan to show the film. WHAT THE COURT HELD In a judgment by Justice A. R. Lakshmanan, the Supreme Court dismissed Doordarshan's appeal. A film's message cannot be judged from portions viewed in isolation; it must be viewed as a whole. The scenes of violence and injustice were meant to show that such evils are evil. The film was not vulgar or obscene, and Doordarshan was directed to telecast it within eight weeks. EXAM POINT A documentary is judged as a whole, and a public broadcaster must act within constitutional standards and give legally sound reasons for rejecting serious public-interest content. PREVIOUS CASE: Bobby Art International v. Om Pal Singh Hoon - https://youtu.be/K0bgDpthH6Q NEXT CASE: Ajay Goswami v. Union of India - https://youtu.be/tPXGV6KRGRc FULL PLAYLIST (all 30 cases in order): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY-t71WbMh6k COMPLETE LECTURE (all 30 cases, 1 hour 52 minutes): https://youtu.be/8AFvktrLPM4 Made for LL.B. students and for CLAT PG, UGC NET Law and judiciary exam preparation. Subscribe to Law Easy for the full law course. Notes: https://www.thelaweasy.com #MediaLaw #Documentary #LawEasy