NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the parent company of Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Bing to file a response after they disclosed the identity of an eight-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Jammu and Kashmir.
The direction from acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar came after their Indian subsidiary apprised the bench that they were not the concerned entity to respond to the court’s query.
“You have done a great disservice to the nation. India has been branded… It is an injustice to the nation and to the victim’s family. This kind of publication is not permissible,” a bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Hari Shankar said.
The court observed that several Internet platforms and social networking sites were extensively displaying the photographs and name of the victim.
The Court will again hear the matter on May 29.
Meanwhile, the court stayed the proceedings initiated by the Press Council of India (PCI) against some of the media houses for disclosing the identity of the victim.
Earlier the Delhi High Court had slapped a fine of Rs. 10 lakhs on 12 media organisations, who revealed the identity of the eight-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir..
The court had further warned that anyone disclosing rape victim’s identity can be imprisoned for six-month.
On April 13, the High Court had also issued a notice to various media houses for disclosing the identity of the rape victim.
The court had observed that there were long term repercussion to the victim’s family, especially for the women members, due to such reporting.
The minor belonging to a nomadic Muslim tribe, was abducted, drugged, gang-raped, tortured and raped againg before being killed in January.
Agencies input