New Delhi, July 3 — The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Union government’s Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) to decide, within 15 days, an appeal seeking removal of a YouTube video uploaded by Dhruv Rathee that has been alleged to contain defamatory material and to have hurt religious sentiments.
A single-judge bench led by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the direction while disposing of a plea filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva. Sachdeva had asked the GAC to decide her appeal against the video titled “Can Hindus eat BEEF? | Kerala Story 2 EXPOSED”, which was uploaded on March 21.
“The appellate authority shall decide the petitioner’s appeal expeditiously, within a period of 15 days from the date of receipt of this order. In case of any further grievance, the petitioner can file a fresh petition,” the court ordered, adding that any disregard of its directions would be viewed seriously.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Union government, told the court that intermediaries like YouTube ought to have exercised due diligence and taken down content that is harmful. ASG Sharma argued the video contained disparaging material against Hindu deities and was potentially harmful and divisive, citing an earlier Delhi High Court judgment that requires intermediaries to assess and remove content harmful to society.
The Centre’s law officer said Google could either remove the video voluntarily or be subject to an order under the legal principles set out in the earlier judgment. Counsel for Google LLC told Justice Sharma that a response had already been furnished to the petitioner and that an appeal was pending before the GAC, and added that the intermediary would comply with any judicial order.
Recording these submissions, the Delhi High Court disposed of the petition and reiterated the 15-day timeline for the GAC to decide the appeal.
According to the plea, the impugned video falsely asserted that revered Hindu figures, including Lord Ram, Sita and Lord Krishna, consumed meat and alcohol, claims the petitioner said hurt devotees’ religious sentiments. The petition described the video as “highly derogatory, inflammatory and communally sensitive” and sought its removal.
Sachdeva has also initiated criminal proceedings over the video before a metropolitan magistrate, where an action-taken report has reportedly been sought from the police. — IANS
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/national/hc-asks-gac-to-act-on-dhruv-rathee-youtube-video-plea-within-15-days-1613830
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Publish Date: 2026-07-03 15:22:00
