A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice D Krishna Kumar and Justice K Kumaresh Babu adjourned the hearing for a week, instructing Parthiban to include the Union Government and YouTube as respondents.
CHENNAI: A lawyer from Chennai, V Parthiban, has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition with the Madras High Court. The petition seeks directives for the Tamil Nadu Government and State police to create a regulatory mechanism ensuring YouTube content aligns with Indian laws and socio-religious beliefs.
Parthiban claims YouTube lacks measures to control objectionable content and comments, necessitating a system to monitor and regulate such material.
A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice D Krishna Kumar and Justice K Kumaresh Babu adjourned the hearing for a week, instructing Parthiban to include the Union Government and YouTube as respondents.
The Tamil Nadu Government opposed the petition’s maintainability, but the bench decided to hear the case, stating,
“Let us hear it first. Let us see what he wants..We will issue notice.”
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The Court noted that the petitioner had not included the Central government and YouTube as parties, prompting the adjournment to allow time for this. Parthiban’s PIL argues that YouTube has become a platform for “unruly comments” and “casual mudslinging” against politicians and public figures, with no effective oversight.
The plea highlights the absence of a system to regulate YouTube content, which is currently removed only if flagged by users. It argues that a regulatory mechanism is essential due to YouTube’s origin in California, USA, which does not account for India’s specific socio-cultural and religious context.
The PIL states,
“YouTube, which originates from California, USA, was introduced globally without strict regulations. Our country is relatively conservative and inherently restricts content that disturbs religious sentiments, personal lives, or involves mudslinging against politicians and public figures.”
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The PIL emphasizes that Indian society has inherent restrictions against content disturbing religious sentiments or engaging in personal attacks. Parthiban contends that YouTube, as an abettor of such content, should be held accountable under criminal jurisprudence, where abettors are punishable alongside perpetrators.
