Mon Dec 02 17:36:27 UTC 2024: ## Google CEO Sundar Pichai Served Contempt Notice by Mumbai Court
**Mumbai, India –** Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been served with a contempt notice by a Mumbai court for YouTube’s failure to remove a video deemed defamatory. The video, titled “Pakhandi Baba ki Kartut” (The Deeds of the Hypocritical Baba), targeted Yogi Ashwini, the founder of the Dhyan Foundation, a wildlife welfare NGO.
The additional chief judicial magistrate court in Ballard Pier ordered YouTube to remove the video on November 21, 2023, following a petition by the Dhyan Foundation alleging defamation. A subsequent order to remove the video was issued last month, following a Bombay High Court directive. Despite these orders, YouTube failed to comply.
The Dhyan Foundation then filed a contempt petition, arguing that Google intentionally disregarded the court’s orders. Their lawyer, Raju Gupta, stated Google offered no justification for its non-compliance. YouTube’s defense, citing Section 69-A of the Information Technology Act, claimed that the content did not fall under the definition of defamatory material subject to blocking. The court, however, rejected this argument.
The court deemed Google’s actions contemptuous and issued the notice to Sundar Pichai. The next hearing is scheduled for January 3, 2025. While YouTube has faced similar cases in the past, with varying outcomes regarding compliance with court orders to remove defamatory content, this instance highlights the potential consequences of non-compliance.
First Piper 