The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up Google, Yahoo and Microsoft search engine websites, for not complying with its earlier interim order restraining them from advertising or sponsoring any advertis
The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up Google, Yahoo and Microsoft search engine websites, for not complying with its earlier interim order restraining them from advertising or sponsoring any advertisement related to sex determination of the foetus, which violates the provisions of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Tests Act.
Acting on a public interest writ petition from social activist Sabu Mathew George, the court had, in January, asked the websites not to advertise or sponsor any advertisement related to sex determination tests. The petitioner sought the court’s intervention in view of the decreasing number of girl children in the country and action again the search engines for continuing to flout the court’s orders.
During the resumed hearing on Tuesday, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Ms. R. Banumathi was informed by counsel, Sanjay Parikh that the websites had not complied with the directions. On behalf of the websites it was submitted that it was technically not possible to block these advertisements. However, if the advertisements pop up then they are blocked immediately. If we block certain key words then all the contents would be blocked, they submitted.
The Bench refused to accept the submission and said “you can’t say that you can’t do anything in this matter. You don’t have respect for law that is why you have not complied with our order.” The Bench made it clear that the websites should block such advertisements immediately. When the Bench asked the Centre to find a way out, its counsel said the government will soon convene a meeting with search engines.
