The Tandav Contention

On January 27th the Supreme Court refused to pass an order which sought to provide interim protection to the makers and actors of the TV show Tandav, particularly actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub. Senior advocates representing the show tried to persuade the court by citing examples where such interim protection against arrest was granted, such as in the case of Arnab Goswami. However, this was denied, despite arguments that such arrests would infringe on the freedom of speech and expression. All of this started when BJP MLA Manoj Kotak wrote to the Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javedkar seeking a ban on the TV series. He alleged that Hindu gods are ridiculed in the political drama and further said that often attempts are made to show Hindu deities in an unpleasant light. Widespread opinion amongst the public, however, is that the show is in no way intolerant and hurtful to Hindu sentiments.