Mumbai Court Issues Contempt Notice to Google CEO Over YouTube's Defiance

A Mumbai court has issued a contempt notice to Google CEO Sundar Pichai after YouTube allegedly failed to comply with a Bombay High Court (HC) order to remove a defamatory video. 

The video in question, titled ‘Pakhandi Baba ki Kartut,’ was linked to the Dhyan Foundation and its founder, Yogi Ashwini, and contained false and harmful allegations. 

Despite the HC’s March 31 order instructing YouTube to remove the video, the Dhyan Foundation claimed that the platform intentionally ignored the ruling, with the video still available on the site. 

The court, on November 21, questioned whether contempt proceedings should be initiated against Pichai for the non-compliance. YouTube in its defense, cited “intermediary immunity” under the IT Act, arguing that defamation does not fall under the categories of content that can be blocked. 

It further contended that such grievances should be dealt with in civil courts. However the lower court rejected this argument, emphasizing that criminal courts can intervene in such matters under the IT Act, and noted the undeniable defamation and its harm to the NGOs reputation.

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Google Faces Legal Challenges

This legal dispute comes amid other issues for Google in India. Previous month the Competition Commission of India ordered a probe into the company for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the app marketplace segment. 

Earlier this year, CCI also investigated Google’s controversial user choice billing system, which startups claimed imposed high commissions. Additionally, in 2022, the antitrust body fined Google over INR 2,200 crore for abuse of dominance in the Android market and for its Play Store policies.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 3, 2025, as the court continues to examine YouTube’s non-compliance with the HC’s ruling.

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