Dhruv Rathee's YouTube video on Hindu deities withheld in India, not globally: Google tells Delhi HC
The Centre said that once a video has been objected to, then the order must apply across the board. “Otherwise the baton will be passed from a to b, then b to c, and c to d….”
The Delhi High Court heard arguments on Tuesday regarding the withholding of a controversial YouTube video created by influencer Dhruv Rathee. The video, titled "Can Hindus eat BEEF? Kerala Story 2 Exposed," allegedly contained defamatory statements about Hindu deities that hurt religious sentiments. According to the petition filed by lawyer Amita Sachdeva, the video caused significant harm to the religious feelings of millions of Hindus.
Google, the owner of YouTube, responded that it had withheld the video in India, but not globally. This decision is pending a resolution by a division bench of the court, as the issue of granting a global injunction has yet to be considered. Sachdeva's lawyer argued that the Center's Grievance Appellate Committee had directed Google to take down the video within 24 hours, but Google only "withheld the video" in India, which constitutes partial compliance.
Despite the legal mandate to decide the appeal within 30 days, the GAC has yet to resolve the case, and the harmful video remains publicly accessible on YouTube.
Written by urgent.news from Live Mint's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
