SC asks Google, Microsoft & Yahoo to remove sex-determination test ads

Supreme Court has directed internet giants Google, Yahoo and Microsoft to establish internal monitoring bodies to remove offensive advertisements and content related to sex determination tests.

The country's apex court slammed Google, Yahoo and Microsoft for not honouring Indian law by allowing online advertisements on sex determination test. SC made the comments during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on foreign websites which are said to be soliciting couples to undergo sex determination tests.

The PIL was filed in 2008 by petitioner Sabu Mathew George.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to set up a nodal agency to enforce the ban on advertisements and all forms of information on internet relating to 'pre-natal sex determination' tests to find out whether a fetus is a boy or girl.

The bench did not accept the arguments of tech giants Google, Yahoo and Microsoft that such ban would violate the right to free of information, and said this aspect will be considered later.

The apex court said the nodal agency can be alerted by any person on such information available on the internet.