Supreme Court issues notice on plea seeking removal of BJP Assam video allegedly vilifying Muslims

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to X, the Assam government, and the Central government on a plea to remove an AI-generated video shared by BJP on X allegedly vilifying the Muslim community [Qurban Ali Versus Union of India and Ors.]

A Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta was hearing an application against a video posted by BJP's Assam unit on X suggesting a Muslim takeover of the State if the party loses the polls.

The video, which was posted on October 15, garnered significant attention, having been reposted 6,100 times, liked over 19,000 times, and viewed approximately 4.6 million times.

The petitioners contended that such widespread circulation necessitates urgent judicial intervention to prevent further communal disharmony and unrest in the State.

The bench posted the matter on October 28 for further consideration.

The application was filed by journalist Qurban Ali and Senior Advocate Anjana Prakash in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking action against hate speeches and hate crimes across the country.

In this PIL, the Court had earlier directed all States and UTs to suo motu register FIRs against hate speeches without waiting for any formal complaint.

According to the present application, the video allegedly depicts scenes of individuals wearing skull caps and burqas taking control of prominent public spaces and landmarks, including tea estates, the Guwahati airport, Rang Ghar and Guwahati Stadium.

As per the plea, the video portrays illegal migration and the acquisition of government land by Muslims, culminating in the assertion that the State’s population would reach “90% Muslim” in such a scenario.

It was contended that the circulation of such a video by the ruling party’s official account constitutes a gross violation of the secular fabric of the Indian Constitution.

It was argued that a State government, being bound by the Constitution, bears a heightened responsibility to uphold secularism and refrain from promoting any content that discriminates on the basis of religion, race, caste, gender or language.

"As on 18.09.2025 (17:48 Hrs) it(Video)has been re-posted 6100 times; liked 19,000 times and viewed 4.6 million times. Thus, the same is required to be taken down immediately to contain any further spread of communal disharmony, unrest and enmity," the plea said.

The petition further stressed that even private individuals are prohibited under Indian law from making speeches or sharing content that could incite communal enmity. Therefore, the dissemination of such material by a political party in power represents a serious dereliction of constitutional duty.

Advocates Nizam Pasha, Lzafeer Ahmad, and Rashmi Singh appeared for the applicant.