Delhi High Court to hear Google, Facebook's petitions today

The Delhi High Court will hear petitions filed by Facebook and Google on Monday in the objectionable content case. The companies had challenged a trial court summons for allegedly webcasting objectionable material.

Google and Facebook, along with 16 other websites are facing criminal proceedings. Google and Facebook had argued that it is impossible for them to prescreen content with billions of users accessing websites every day and that ultimately it was a question of the users' freedom of expression.

The Delhi High Court on January 19 adjourned the case against Google and Facebook till February 2. The social networking sites had filed petitions challenging the notices for allowing objectionable content on their websites.

Google and Facebook had earlier told the court not to allow the suppression of the right to freedom of speech as democratic India was not totalitarian China. Google had earlier told the Court that blocking was not an option in a democracy.

"The issue relates to a constitutional issue of freedom of speech and expression and suppressing it was not possible as the right to freedom of speech in democratic India separates us from a totalitarian regime like China," advocate NK Kaul, appearing for Google India, said in court.

Facebook too had noted that it already has rules of blocking and removing content, whenever specific matters are brought to its notice. Both websites are challenging a trial court's order to prosecute them.