NEW DELHI: Google on Tuesday told the Delhi high court that it had withheld a “defamatory” YouTube video by social media influencer Dhruv Rathee in India after being directed to do so by the Centre’s Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC). The video allegedly hurt “religious sentiments” and contained statements “insulting Bhagwan Shri Ram, Bhagwan Shri Krishna and Sita Devi.”Google, which owns YouTube, made the submission before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma while hearing a petition filed by lawyer Amita Sachdeva.Sachdeva alleged that Rathee had published a highly derogatory and communally sensitive video on March 21, which garnered millions of views on YouTube and contained “false, misleading, and provocative statements insulting Bhagwan Shri Ram, Bhagwan Shri Krishna and Sita Devi,” news agency PTI reported.The video has been withheld only in India, while the issue of blocking it globally is pending before a division bench of the high court.On July 3, the high court had directed the GAC to decide within 15 days on Sachdeva’s plea seeking removal of the alleged “objectionable” video. She subsequently filed an application seeking compliance with the court’s direction.
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Sachdeva argued that the GAC, on July 15, had directed Google to take down the video within 24 hours. However, she said Google had only “withheld the video” in India, amounting to “partial compliance”.Sachdeva had earlier alleged that despite more than two months having passed, the GAC had not decided her appeal against YouTube’s refusal to immediately remove the video.“Issue regarding global injunction is already pending before the division bench. Whatever they could do, they have already done,” Justice Sharma said.The court adjourned the matter till September 3.
