Search engines not blocking advt on sex determination, SC told

New Delhi, March 26

The Supreme Court was on Thursday informed that despite its order, search engines like Google India, Yahoo India and Microsoft Corporation (I) Pvt Ltd are violating Indian laws by not blocking advertisements on sex determination of a foetus.

Taking note of the submission, a bench of justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant asked advocate Sanjay Parekh to supply the compilation, listing out alleged violations, to the counsel representing the search engine firms.

"It is submitted by Sanjay Parekh, counsel appearing for the petitioner that, the order passed on January 28 is not followed by the respondent nos. 3, 4 and 5, namely, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft inasmuch such advertisements which were prohibited by virtue of that order are still being depicted.

"Parekh has filed a compilation indicating that till February 19, advertisements were shown by the search engines.

"Let the same be served on counsel for said respondents within three days from today. Response thereto be filed within a week therefrom... Be that as it may, the said aspect shall be adverted to after the copy of the compilation is served on the counsel for the respondents and response thereto is filed after a week therefrom as fixed herein above," it said and fixed the PIL for hearing in last week of April.

Earlier, the court had directed Google India, Yahoo India and Microsoft Corporation (I) Pvt Ltd to strictly comply with Indian laws and block advertisements on sex determination of a fetus.

"As an interim measure, it is directed, the respondents, namely, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft shall not advertise or sponsor any advertisement which would violate Section 22 of the PC-PNDT Act," it had said.

The order was passed after Google and Microsoft argued that they were not advertising anything which violated the PC-PNDT Act or any Indian law.

The court is hearing a PIL filed by Sabu Mathew George seeking court's intervention in view of decreasing number of girl child in the country.

Earlier, the court had come down heavily on various states for their failure to stop female foeticide, leading to alarming drop in the sex ratio in the country. — PTI