New Delhi:
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been issued a contempt notice by a Mumbai court over a defamatory video allegedly posted on YouTube targeting a spiritual guru.
The notice was issued by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Ballard Pier on November 21, concerning a video titled “Pakhandi Baba ki Kartut,” which allegedly targeted an NGO and spiritual leader Yogi Ashwini.
The court issued the notice after Google failed to comply with a Bombay High Court order from March 31, 2024, directing YouTube to remove the video.
The video is said to contain defamatory and obscene content, and its widespread circulation on social media platforms damaged the reputation of both Dhyan Foundation, an animal welfare NGO, and Yogi Ashwini, the group claimed.
The contempt plea was filed by Dhyan Foundation in October last year, with the notice being issued just last week. In the plea, the NGO had stated that the video, which was widely shared, caused significant harm to its image and to the reputation of Yogi Ashwini. Despite the earlier court order, the video remains accessible outside India, and the NGO claimed that Google had “intentionally and deliberately” failed to remove it.
The NGO’s lawyer, Raju Gupta, had also argued before the court that Google was applying delay tactics, seeking adjournments on “flimsy grounds” while damage was being caused to the character and reputation of the NGO and Yogi Ashwini.
In response, YouTube has invoked its immunity under the Information Technology (IT) Act, stating that defamation does not fall within the categories of content that can be blocked under Section 69-A of the Act. However, the court has rejected these claims, stating that the IT Act does not prevent criminal courts from intervening in such matters, The Times Of India reported.
The matter is scheduled to be heard again on January 3, 2025.
