Docu on Modi: BBC gets summons from Indian court

India's Delhi High Court yesterday issued a summons to British broadcaster BBC in a defamation case over its documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi that questioned his leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The suit was filed on the basis that the documentary "maliciously defamed India", said Siddharth Sharma, an advocate for Gujarat-based non-profit Justice on Trial that filed the suit.

Sharma said the court issued a summons to the BBC yesterday with the next hearing set for September 23.

Relations between India and Britain have soured after the documentary and a "breach of security" incident at the Indian High Commission in March, at a time when they are struggling to make progress in free trade talks.