‘Respect Sentiments’: Delhi HC Asks Twitter To Remove Objectionable Material Related To Goddess Kaali

An apex court bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh said Twitter was doing a good job and added the people were happy with it.

Twitter

New Delhi: Asking Twitter to remove certain objectionable material relating to Hindu Goddess from its platform, the Delhi High Court on Friday observed the social media giant shall respect the general public’s sentiments as it was doing business for them.

An apex court bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh said Twitter was doing a good job and added the people were happy with it.

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“Things are going to be removed or not?” the court asked Twitter’s counsel.

“You should respect the sentiments of general public as you are doing business for public at large. Their sentiments shall be given due importance... Why you should do things like this. You should remove this,” the apex court bench added, PTI reported.

The apex court bench further said: “You remove it. You have done it in Rahul Gandhi's case also.”

Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing Twitter, said the apex court may mention in the order and added they will abide by the direction.

Aditya Singh Deshwal, the petitioner, said that he came across some highly obnoxious posts about Maa Kaali put up by a user with the name @AtheistRepublic, adding the deity was represented in a disgraceful and outrageous manner.

Represented through senior advocate Sanjay Poddar, the petitioner said he intimated Twitter’s grievance officer that the content put by the user was in grave contravention of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and non-compliance of the rules shall make the social media giant lose its legal immunity provided under the Information Technology Act.

The petitioner claimed that the social media giant repudiated that the content in the account is not of a category for which it takes action and it cannot be, therefore, removed.

The matter will be next heard on November 30.