A petition has been moved before the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking criminal action against two prominent Hindi newspapers—Navdunia and Dainik Bhaskar—for allegedly publishing communal news in connection with the Bhopal rape case involving students from a local college.
The plea, filed by Advocate Deepak Bundele, accuses both media houses of spreading religious hatred by associating the religion of the accused with the crime11. According to the petitioner, the newspapers portrayed the incident in a manner that generalizes the entire Muslim community as responsible for the actions of a few individuals.
The rape case itself is deeply distressing and involves the filming of girl students from a Bhopal-based college. The petitioner emphasized that such a serious crime should be handled purely under the framework of law and the accused should be brought to justice, irrespective of their religion.
However, the plea claims that terms like “Love Jihad” have been irresponsibly used in the coverage of the case. It argues that this term has no legal basis and only contributes to religious polarization. The use of such terminology, the petitioner asserts, targets Muslims as a whole and shifts the narrative from criminal justice to communal profiling.
"By calling the incident 'Love Jihad,' the newspapers are painting an entire community with the same brush for a crime committed by individuals," the plea argues.
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The petitioner also accused Navdunia and Dainik Bhaskar of violating several Fundamental Rights under the Indian Constitution. These include:
- Article 14 – Right to Equality
- Article 15 – No discrimination based on religion
- Article 19 – Freedom of speech
- Article 21 – Right to life and personal liberty
- Article 25 – Freedom of religion
The plea further notes that the headline by Navdunia—“Kerala Story Pattern of Love Jihad…”—caused emotional and religious distress to the Muslim community. It highlighted that the word "Jihad" in the Quran signifies peace, justice, and striving for righteousness, not hate or violence. The petitioner believes that misrepresenting such a term not only distorts its true meaning but also spreads falsehood.
“The misuse of religious terms in crime reporting distorts facts and damages national unity,” the plea stated.
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It also alleged that this kind of biased reporting is aimed at disrupting the secular fabric of the nation, potentially inciting communal tension and hatred between Hindus and Muslims. The petitioner has urged the court to order an FIR against both media outlets for publishing misleading and offensive news that hurts religious sentiments.
Furthermore, the petition asks the court to issue strict guidelines to curb the spread of misinformation and communal content in the media. It stresses the importance of responsible journalism in preserving social harmony and the constitutional principle of secularism.
The High Court has tentatively scheduled the hearing for June 19, and the matter awaits judicial consideration.
