NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court was on Tuesday informed that YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s video, allegedly defaming Hindu gods, has been withheld in India. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma was informed by Google’s counsel that the action was taken pursuant to an order of the Centre’s Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC).
The court was hearing a petition by advocate Amita Sachdeva, who alleged that the video defamed Hindu gods Ram, Seeta and Krishna by “falsely claiming” that they consumed meat and alcohol.
Sachdeva told the court that the video could still be viewed outside India and in the country through a VPN, and urged it to order its global removal.
Google opposed the plea, submitting that the issue of global removal of content was pending before a larger bench of the HC. Sachdeva also sought permission to approach Google over copies of the video uploaded by other YouTubers. Google opposed the request, saying it would constitute a “separate cause of action” requiring a separate plea. The court noted the submissions and adjourned the matter to September.