New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued crucial directives regarding a controversial video posted by prominent YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. The court has strictly ordered the government Grievance Appellate Committee to deliver its decision within fifteen days on an appeal demanding the complete removal of the video. The bench firmly noted that any disregard for its judicial directives would be viewed with utmost seriousness by the court.
The legal dispute revolves around a YouTube video uploaded by Dhruv Rathee on March 21 earlier this year. The video is titled Can Hindus eat beef? The Kerala Story 2 exposed. The petitioner in the case, practicing lawyer Amita Sachdeva, raised severe objections to the content. She alleged that the video falsely claims revered deities like Lord Ram, Mata Sita, and Lord Krishna consumed meat and alcohol. Sachdeva argued that these specific remarks have deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions of devotees across the country.
During the detailed court proceedings, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma presented the stance of the Central government. He strongly argued that intermediary digital platforms such as YouTube must exercise proper due diligence when hosting user content. He stated that objectionable material and hate speech should be removed immediately from public access. Sharma informed the court that the video published by Dhruv Rathee contains harmful and divisive content that negatively impacts the society.
The Additional Solicitor General further submitted that either Google should voluntarily take down the controversial video or the judicial bench should pass an appropriate order. He stressed that tech platforms should not provide a space for content that offends the deep religious beliefs of the majority community. In response to these submissions, the legal counsel representing Google informed the court that the technology company had already replied to the petitioner. The counsel also noted that a formal appeal was currently pending before the Grievance Appellate Committee.
Following these extensive arguments, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed the government committee to resolve the pending appeal within a strict fifteen day timeline. At this current stage, the High Court has deliberately refrained from passing a final order regarding the direct removal of the video. All public and legal attention is now sharply focused on the upcoming decision from the appellate committee.