Will the media now report the dismissal of the petition to ban Sanatan Sanstha with the same noise as the defamation ? : Advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, National President, Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad

A petition was filed in 2011 seeking a ban on Sanatan Sanstha. The bizarre reason cited in it was that individuals were allegedly hypnotised and kept in the Sanstha’s ashram. If hypnotism could achieve such results, terrorist outfits like SIMI would have created terrorists by the millions. But such claims are neither feasible nor factual. In the previous hearing, the Court had directly questioned the petitioner, asking, “On what grounds can such a petition even be filed?” The petitioner failed to respond, following which the Court directed that the petition be withdrawn. The Court had also warned that if not withdrawn, it would be dismissed. Yet, it took 14 years to reach this point.

In the meantime, numerous reports were published tarnishing Sanatan Sanstha’s image. Now that the petition has been dismissed, will the media show equal interest in reporting this development? This is a crucial question. We often speak of democracy and intellectual freedom, but in practice, some narratives are amplified while others are deliberately silenced. Is this not a form of ideological terrorism? Are certain individuals or organisations being selectively targeted? These are questions that arise in my mind.