Mumbai court issues contempt notice to Sundar Pichai over YouTube's non-compliance
Mumbai: A Mumbai court has issued a contempt notice to Google CEO Sundar Pichai over YouTube's failure to comply with a takedown order concerning a video allegedly defaming the Dhyan Foundation and its founder, Yogi Ashwini.
The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court at Ballard Pier issued the notice on November 21, with the contempt petition filed by the Dhyan Foundation now set for hearing on January 3, 2025.
The controversy began in March 2023 when the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of the 38th Court, Ballard Pier, directed YouTube to remove a video titled "Pakhandi Baba ki Kartut". The NGO alleged that the video contained baseless and malicious allegations that harmed its reputation.
YouTube, owned by Google, argued that as an intermediary under the Information Technology Act, it was immune from liability for such content and claimed that defamation does not fall within the purview of s. 69-A of the Act, which deals with content blocking. The platform contended that such disputes should be addressed in civil courts.
Rejecting YouTube’s technical objections, the court maintained that criminal courts were not barred from intervening in such matters. The court also noted that the defamatory nature of the video was undisputed and warned that its circulation could pose a threat to public peace.
The Dhyan Foundation alleged that YouTube’s non-compliance with the takedown order led to the filing of the contempt petition in October 2023, with the notice being issued a year later in November 2024.
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UP: Passenger falls to death while spitting 'paan' from moving bus
Sultanpur (UP), Nov 30: A 45-year-old passenger fell to his death from an air-conditioned Uttar Pradesh roadways bus allegedly after he opened its door to spit 'pann' as the vehicle moved through the Purvanchal Expressway here on Saturday, police said.
The incident took place on the 93-km milestone of the expressway around 10.30 am when the bus was en route to Lucknow from Azamgarh.
"As the bus reached near Bihi village in the Baldirai police station area, a passenger opened the door of the moving bus to spit. He lost balance and fell onto the road, resulting in his death. He had opened the door to spit 'paan'," a police official said.
"The bus was stopped immediately, and Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) officials along with the police were informed," the official said.
Baldirai Station House Officer (SHO) Dheeraj Kumar said that UPEIDA personnel rushed the victim to the local Community Health Centre via ambulance, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
"The deceased was identified as Ram Jiavan, a resident of Chinhat area in Lucknow. His wife, Savitri, was also travelling with him on the bus," Kumar said.
He added that the bus has been taken to the police station for further investigation and the body has been sent for post-mortem.
