Court: Govt not cooperating

Considering the repeated failure to get response despite notices being delivered directing a Union home ministry to appear before it, a city court on Wednesday observed that the Centre is “not cooperating” in its proceedings against various US-based websites, including Facebook and Google. Metropolitan magistrate Jay Tharej-am, making his displeasure known regarding the lukewarm response of Centre in respect to the notices sent by him, said, “I am getting the impression that the Government of India is not co-operating in this matter. The man (MHA official) has not yet come. I have called him several times but he is not coming.” Meanwhile, the court has issued notice to the MHA’s under-secretary Amar Chand, who had failed to appear before it on Wednesday and posted the matter for hearing on December 21. Amar Chand had earlier told the court to start extradition proceedings to secure the presence of the websites based abroad and had referred to the MLAT between the US and India saying instead of issuing summonses against them, it should initiate extradition proceedings.

*** Anti-Islamic Video Plea: govt reply sought Ridhima Malhotra New Delhi, Dec. 5

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre, the Delhi police and Google India on a plea seeking direction to the government to ensure that the popular web portal removes trailers of the controversial and allegedly un-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims from YouTube. Issuing notice to the Centre and the ministries of home affairs, external affairs, minority affairs, corporate affairs and information and broadcasting (I&B) along with the Delhi police and Google India, a bench of Chief Justice D. Murugesan and Justice R.S. Endlaw sought their response by January 23, 2013, the next date of hearing. “Issue direction in the interest of public at large and in the nature of mandamus commanding the respondents to permanently and completely remove or block or ban with immediate effect the exhibition, transmission or broadcast of the film Innocence of Muslims or any contents or parts or its video or clippings or trailers or their similar versions with different titles from Internet website YouTube....,” the plea said.