NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC on Friday directed the Centre to decide within two weeks whether to remove YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s video in which he claimed that certain Hindu gods ate meat, triggering controversy.
Hearing the matter, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed the Centre’s grievance appellate committee (GAC) to take a decision on removing the video within 15 days, warning that any disregard of the court’s order “will be taken seriously.” The judge also recorded the submission of the Centre’s counsel, who claimed that the content uploaded by Rathee was “harmful and fissiparous,” and that YouTube should have exercised due diligence.
According to the petitioner, Rathee had hurt sentiments of the Hindu community by “falsely stating that revered figures, including Ram, Sita, and Krishna, consumed meat and alcohol.” The plea, filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva, noted that in the video titled ‘Can Hindus Eat BEEF? | Kerala Story 2 EXPOSED’ uploaded by Rathee on YouTube in March, was “highly derogatory, inflammatory and communally sensitive.” She sought directions for the registration of an FIR against Rathee under Sections 196, 299 and 302 of the BNS.
During the hearing, the Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the government, argued that the intermediary (YouTube) should have exercised due diligence, which includes taking down the content. “Either Google says they will do it (take down the video) now, or my ladyship may pass a judgment,” he said. He added that Google, Youtube’s parent company, should not permit “such fissiparious content that hurts the sentiments of the majority community.”
Google’s counsel pointed out that it had given its response to Sachdeva and she has already filed an appeal before the GAC, a government-established body that allows users to appeal decisions made by social media platforms and other online intermediaries regarding complaints about online content or accounts. Sachdeva said that Rathee deliberately distorted Hindu scriptures, mocked the sanctity of Sanatan Dharma, and promoted communal disharmony by linking dietary practices to caste and politics.