The Delhi High Court has issued summons to owners of 21 social networking sites, including Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Yahoo and YouTube.
The summons have been issued by Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar for allegedly webcasting objectionable content on their websites.
This Court Order comes 3 days after these sites were restrained by another Civil Court, for webcasting alleged “anti-religious” or “anti-social” content which was liable to promote hatred or communal disharmony.
In today’s case, the Hon Court said:
It appears from a bare perusal of the documents that prima facie the accused in connivance with each other and other unknown persons are selling, publicly exhibiting and have put into circulation obscene, lascivious content which also appears to the prurient interests and tends to deprave and corrupt the persons who are likely to read, see or hear the same.
I have gone through the record carefully wherein the plaintiff has also filed a CD containing all the defamatory articles and photographs. In my considered opinion the photographs shown by the plaintiff having content of defamation and derogation against the sentiments of every community.
The Defendants are further directed to remove the content from their social networking websites.
The Court has summoned the accused companies to face trial for allegedly committing the offence punishable under section 292 (Sale of obscene books, etc), 293 (Sale of obscene objects to young person etc) and 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The content included obscene picture and derogatory articles pertaining to Jesus Christ, Hindu Gods and Goddesses, and Prophet Mohammad.
