Google told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that a YouTube video by Dhruv Rathee was withheld in India following a direction from the Centre's Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC).
The matter came up before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma after lawyer Amita Sachdeva sought action against the video. Sachdeva has alleged that Rathee's video contains offensive remarks about Hindu deities and hurts religious sentiments.
How The Case Started?
Rathee uploaded the video on March 21, and it went on to receive millions of views on YouTube, which is owned by Google.
In it, he discussed references to food and dietary practices in Hindu scriptures, including claims about Hindu deities such as Ram, Krishna and Sita consuming meat and alcohol.
Sachdeva has described the video as derogatory, inflammatory and communally sensitive. She alleged that Rathee distorted Hindu scriptures and “mocked the sanctity of Sanatan Dharma”. She has also filed a criminal complaint against the YouTuber before a magistrate.
The dispute reached the GAC after Sachdeva challenged YouTube's refusal to immediately remove the video. On July 3, the Delhi High Court directed the committee to decide her plea within 15 days.
The GAC later directed Google on July 15 to take action against the video within 24 hours. However, Sachdeva said Google only withheld it in India, which she described as “partial compliance” with the order.
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Google Responds To The Plea
Google said it had complied with the GAC's order by restricting the video in India. The company added that the plea to block it worldwide is already pending before a division bench of the High Court.
Sachdeva told the court that but Sachdeva argued that the move does not fully resolve the issue. She added, the video can still be accessed in India through a virtual private network (VPN) and has therefore sought its global removal.
During the hearing, Justice Sharma said, “Whatever they could do, they have already done,” while referring to the action taken by Google. The High Court has adjourned the matter until September 3.
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