A district court in Lucknow has directed the registration of a complaint against Aaj Tak anchor Anjana Om Kashyap over a controversial episode of her show Black and White, titled “भारत विभाजन का मकसद पूरा क्यों नहीं हुआ?” (Why was the purpose of India’s Partition not fulfilled?), aired on August 14, 2025.
The court’s order follows a complaint filed by former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, who alleged that the programme was “unwarranted, destructive, and divisive”, designed to inflame communal sentiments and undermine national unity.
Thakur’s plea claimed that the show distorted historical facts and incited hostility against a particular religious community. He pointed to parts of the broadcast where Kashyap questioned why only 96 lakh Muslims out of four crore migrated to Pakistan during Partition, while significantly larger numbers of Hindus moved from Pakistan and Bangladesh to India.
According to the complaint, raising such questions is equivalent to “asking Muslims why they are in India”, potentially provoking intolerant groups to consider a so-called “historical correction.”
The plea also argued that the programme ignored the founding vision of India’s leaders, who had committed to building a pluralistic nation rather than one based on religion.
The offences cited in the complaint include:
Section 196, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) – Promoting enmity between different groups
Section 197, BNS – Assertions prejudicial to national integration
Section 353(2), BNS – Statements conducing to public mischief
Thakur further informed the court that he had earlier approached the SHO of Gomtinagar to lodge an FIR but later filed the complaint case, alleging that police had failed to act due to media influence.
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