Politics
Archived — This article has been archived. The information may be outdated.
YouTube tells Delhi court Dhruv Rathee video withheld in India
The Hindu··15 Aug
Google told the Delhi High Court that it has withheld a YouTube video uploaded by influencer Dhruv Rathee in India, following a plea alleging the content was defamatory and offended religious sentiments. The restriction currently applies only within India, with global blocking pending before a Division Bench. The petitioner argued this amounted to only partial compliance with an earlier order.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you follow influencers or creators on YouTube, this case shows how a single court order can make specific videos inaccessible within India while remaining visible elsewhere.
- As a content creator yourself, the case illustrates the layered appeal process, from platform grievance officers to the Grievance Appellate Committee to courts, that governs takedown disputes in India.
- If you use YouTube regularly, geographic content restrictions like this one mean what is available to viewers can differ significantly between India and other countries.
What's Happening
- Google confirmed to the Delhi High Court that Dhruv Rathee's video, uploaded on March 21, has been withheld within India following a Grievance Appellate Committee order.
- The petitioner, advocate Amita Sachdeva, said the July 15 GAC order required a full takedown within 24 hours, so limiting the block to India was only partial compliance.
- The court noted that a global injunction request is already pending before a separate Division Bench and scheduled the next hearing for September 3.
Adaptive Context
- The petitioner's complaint process began in March 2026 with a Cyber Crime Cell report, followed by a YouTube grievance and then an appeal to the GAC in July.
- Under India's IT Rules, appeals to the Grievance Appellate Committee are meant to be resolved within 30 days, but this one remained pending for over two and a half months.
- YouTube had earlier told the petitioner it found no community guideline violations in the video before the GAC intervened and ordered the takedown.
all-newstop-stories
