I-T officers reach BBC Delhi office to conduct survey

New Delhi, Feb 14: The Income Tax department on Tuesday reached the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) office in Delhi's Kasturba Gandhi Marg to conduct a survey, said the sources. The sources also said that the team reached there to verify documents and some of the employees were also asked to leave the office and go home.

"Phones have also been seized," said the sources. This comes amid a controversy over the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Last week, the Supreme Court had declined to entertain a PIL filed by Hindu Sena seeking a ban on the BBC for airing the documentary 'India: The Modi Question' on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

A bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said the court cannot impose censorship and the plea was misconceived.

The bench, also comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh, queried senior advocate Pinky Anand, representing the petitioner, "Completely misconceived, how can this be argued also? You want us to put complete censorship..."

The counsel urged the bench to hear the petitioner. The bench said, "What is this (the petition)?" The counsel had pressed that the matter should be heard.