Meet Vinay Rai, the man who took Google, Facebook and 20 others to court for posting ‘objectionable content’ Sitting in a plush office in Noida, Vinay Rai, 39, says he is a troubled man these days. He claims he does not want to be seen as a social activist fighting for censorship of the internet social network websites and search engines Facebook and Google. He is the one ‘activist’ whose name...

On December 23, 2011, in a criminal case filed by Vinay Rai, editor of a Delhi-based Urdu daily called Akbari , the Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House, directed the Ministry of External Affairs to have summons served on over 21 websites based abroad on the grounds that offences of sale of obscene books and obscene objects to young persons and criminal conspiracy could be made out against these sites under sections...

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday snubbed Google India and Facebook India for their request to treat the case against them for hosting “objectionable contents” only as a “private complaint”, not requiring the government to intervene. The court observed that the case could not be considered only as a private dispute between the complainant and the websites, which have moved the HC against the summoning order by a Delhi magisterial...

-The Hindustan Times   The Delhi police on Tuesday told the high court that the websites booked for carrying objectionable material had been given sufficient warnings and opportunities by the information and technology ministry to remove them before steps were taken for their prosecution. “Contention of the websites that they were not informed or given a chance before the action is false. Time and again they were requested to remove the objectionable content”,...

-The Economic Times   Internet search giants Google and Yahoo! are being investigated for possible violations of the country's foreign exchange law, a government official said, intensifying pressure on them as they wage a legal battle over screening of 'objectionable' content on their websites.  The Enforcement Directorate, which has reviewed data from the RBI, suspects the two companies of having violated provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. It has begun a preliminary...