A video by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in which he claimed that Hindu gods consumed meat was blocked in India following a Union government order, Live Law quoted Google as informing the Delhi High Court on Tuesday.

The video remains accessible outside India, while a request for its global removal is pending before a division bench of the High Court, Google’s counsel told Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.

The plea seeking removal of the video was filed by lawyer Amita Sachdeva. Rathee had uploaded it on YouTube on March 21, In it, he discussed dietary habits in Hindu scriptures. He noted that texts have mentioned that deities like Ram and Krishna consumed meat and alcohol.

Sachdeva alleged that the video was derogatory, inflammatory and communally sensitive. She also filed a criminal complaint against Rathee before a magistrate, alleging that he had distorted Hindu scriptures and “mocked the sanctity of Sanatan Dharma”.

Sanatana Dharma is a term some people use as a synonym for Hinduism.

The Union government’s Grievance Appellate Committee had ordered the video to be blocked after the High Court on July 3 asked the Centre to decide on the plea, Bar and Bench reported.

The Grievance Appellate Committee hears appeals by users against social media intermediaries regarding complaints about online content.

On Tuesday, Sachdeva told the court that the video could still be accessed in India using a virtual private network and sought its global removal.

The court adjourned the matter until September.

Edited by Tanya Shrivastava.

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