Delhi High Court Askes Google, YouTube And Delhi Police To Remove Objectionable Content Relating To A Lady Petitioner

The Delhi High Court has asked Google, YouTube and the Delhi Police to take steps to remove websites and links carrying objectionable photos and videos of a married woman from the Internet.

Justice Subramonium Prasad made it clear that the Writ Petition filed by the victim lady was not an adversarial litigation and listed the matter for September 16, while asking Google, YouTube, the Centre and the Delhi Police Cyber Cell to file their replies to the plea seeking directions to them to remove the photos and videos.

"It is made clear that this is not an adversarial litigation and it is expected that counsel for Google LLC, YouTube, Centre and Cyber Cell of Delhi Police will take necessary steps to remove the sites and links, carrying objectionable photos and videos of the petitioner, from the Internet before the next date of hearing," the Court ordered.

The petitioner has sought direction to the Centre to block pornographic sites operating under pseudo names. It also sought direction to Google to block any nude, sexually explicit or morphed photos of the woman appearing on its sites.

Central government standing counsel, Anurag Ahluwalia assured the Court that the Union of India will take necessary steps for removal of the sites and links from the Internet carrying objectionable photographs and videos of the woman and sought time to file an affidavit.

Advocate Mamta Jha, representing Google LLC and YouTube, submitted that all the URLs, which are with the YouTube, have been removed and 10 channels have already been blocked. In order to expedite the process of removing the links and sites from the Internet, the Court impleaded the Delhi Police through its Cyber Cell as a party. 

"In order to expedite the process of removing the links and sites from the internet, the Delhi Police through Cyber Cell is being impleaded in the array of parties. Let the Delhi Police through Cyber Cell be impleaded in the array of parties before the next date of hearing. Ms. Richa Kapoor, learned ASC for the State, accepts Notice for the Cyber Cell," the Court stated in the order.

With PTI inputs