Contempt notice issued to Sundar Pichai following defamatory video against spiritual guru

Last update:December 02, 2024, 1:10 p.m. IST

The court issued the notice after Google failed to comply with a Bombay High Court order dated March 31, 2024, directing YouTube to remove the video.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google. (AP file photo)

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been served with a contempt notice by a Mumbai court over a defamatory video allegedly posted on YouTube targeting a spiritual guru.

The notice was issued by the Ballard Pier Additional Magistrate Court on November 21, regarding a video titled “Pakhandi Baba Ki Kartut“, which allegedly targeted an NGO and spiritual leader Yogi Ashwini.

The court issued the notice after Google failed to comply with a Bombay High Court order dated March 31, 2024, directing YouTube to remove the video.

The video allegedly contained defamatory and obscene content, and its wide circulation on social media platforms damaged the reputation of the Dhyan Foundation, an animal welfare NGO, and Yogi Ashwini, the group claimed.

The contempt plea was filed by the Dhyan Foundation in October last year, with the notice being issued last week. In its plea, the NGO claimed that the video, widely shared, had caused significant damage to its image and the reputation of Yogi Ashwini. Despite the earlier court order, the video remains accessible outside India, and the NGO claimed that Google had “intentionally and deliberately” failed to remove it.

The NGO’s lawyer, Raju Gupta, had also argued in court that Google was using delaying tactics, seeking adjournments on “flimsy grounds”, while the personality and reputation of the NGO and Yogi Ashwini were tarnished.

In response, YouTube invoked its immunity under the Information Technology (IT) Act, stating that defamation does not fall within the categories of content that can be blocked under Section 69-A of the law. However, the court rejected these allegations, saying that the IT Act does not prevent criminal courts from intervening in such cases, India Times reported.

The case is scheduled to be heard again on January 3, 2025.

(With contribution from agencies)