New Delhi, July 3: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Union government’s Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) to decide, within 15 days, an appeal seeking removal of a YouTube video uploaded by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, which has been alleged to contain defamatory content and hurt religious sentiments.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the direction while disposing of a plea filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva, who had sought a direction to the GAC to decide her appeal against the video titled “Can Hindus eat BEEF? | Kerala Story 2 EXPOSED”, uploaded on March 21.

“The appellate authority shall decide the petitioner’s appeal expeditiously, within a period of 15 days from the date of receipt of this order. In case of any further grievance, the petitioner can file a fresh petition,” the Delhi High Court ordered.

It further clarified that any disregard of its directions would be viewed seriously. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Union government, submitted that the intermediary ought to have exercised due diligence by taking down the content.

ASG Sharma argued that the video contained disparaging material against Hindu deities and was harmful and divisive. Referring to a previous Delhi High Court judgment, he submitted that intermediaries were required to assess whether content was harmful to society and remove such material by exercising due diligence.

The Centre’s law officer further submitted that either Google should voluntarily remove the video or an order could be passed in terms of the law laid down earlier by the Delhi High Court.

Counsel appearing for Google LLC informed Justice Sharma that a response had already been furnished to the petitioner and that an appeal was pending before the GAC. The counsel also submitted that the intermediary would comply with any judicial order passed in the matter.

Recording the submission, the Delhi High Court disposed of the petition and directed the GAC to decide the appeal within 15 days.

According to the plea, the impugned video falsely claimed that revered Hindu figures, including Lord Ram, Sita and Lord Krishna, consumed meat and alcohol, thereby hurting the religious sentiments of devotees.

The petition alleged that the video was “highly derogatory, inflammatory and communally sensitive” and sought its removal.

Petitioner Sachdeva has also initiated criminal proceedings in relation to the video before a metropolitan magistrate, where an action taken report has reportedly been sought from the police.

Bengaluru, July 3: The Karnataka Police on Friday arrested three persons in connection with the stone quarry boulder collapse at Madapattana village in Bengaluru South taluk that claimed the lives of seven workers.

The arrested accused have been identified as Panduranga, owner of Sai Ram Crusher; Lokesh, the quarry in-charge; and Raju, the local in-charge.

According to the police, the three have been taken into custody for questioning. Panduranga had taken Basaveshwara Crusher on lease and was operating the quarry. A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) based on a complaint filed by worker Gopikrishnan.

Police are also likely to question Uday Shankar, the owner of Kaveri Crusher, and D. Anandaswamy, the owner of Basaveshwara Crusher, as part of the ongoing investigation.

The tragedy occurred early Thursday morning at the Kaveri Crusher unit in Madapattana village under the jurisdiction of the Tavarekere Police Station when a massive boulder rolled down from an upper quarry and crashed onto workers at a lower quarry.

Seven workers were killed in the incident, while five others sustained injuries. One of the injured remains in critical condition, and four workers managed to escape.

The deceased were identified as Ramu, Rajpal Singh, Satyanarayan Singh, Ram Avtar Singh, Rajendra Prasad, Nuhar and Bhuvaneshwar Singh, all aged between their 30s and 40s. According to police, one of the deceased hailed from Yadgir district in Karnataka, while the others were from Madhya Pradesh. One of the injured workers is from Chhattisgarh.

Central Zone IGP S. Girish said the accident involved two adjoining quarries owned by different entities.

“There are two quarries at the location. The upper quarry belongs to one owner, while the lower quarry is owned by another. Work was underway at both sites early this morning. A JCB excavator operating at the upper quarry moved boulders, one of which rolled downhill and fell onto the workers at the quarry below,” he said.

“A total of 16 workers were at the lower quarry. Seven of them died on the spot. Five have been admitted to the hospital, one of whom is in critical condition, while four others managed to escape,” Girish added.

A worker from Tamil Nadu, Gopi, who narrowly escaped the accident, alleged that workers at the upper quarry failed to warn those working below before moving the rocks.

“Those working above should alert the workers below, but no one informed us. I have been working here for the past eight years. Four of us managed to escape. If they had warned us, we would have known about the danger. A stone hit me, but I still managed to run away. Around 15 to 30 people were working at the site. Tractors and excavators were mangled in the incident,” he said.

The force of the boulder impact crushed the victims beneath the rocks, making identification difficult. Police said some bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. A tractor, a tipper and other heavy machinery at the site were also extensively damaged.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, reacting to the incident on Thursday, said a detailed report had been sought from officials.

“A tragic incident has taken place at two adjoining quarries on Magadi Road. I have received information that seven persons have died. The bodies have been recovered, and senior officers have visited the spot. It has been ascertained that no blasting took place. I will receive a detailed report. It is yet to be determined whether the quarries were operating legally or illegally. The prescribed rules must be followed,” the Chief Minister said.

He added that action would be initiated after the report is received and compensation would be announced once complete details are available.

Karnataka Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka visited the injured workers at the hospital on Thursday and alleged that the tragedy was the result of negligence on the part of the state government, while demanding accountability for the loss of seven lives.

Saharanpur, July 2: A laboratory technician and his paramour allegedly committed suicide at a rented accommodation in Sadar Bazar area in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, police said on Thursday.

Preliminary police investigation suggests that the two may have died by suicide due to family opposition to their relationship. However, police said the exact cause of death will be confirmed only after the post-mortem report and forensic evidence are examined.

Saharanpur ASP Manoj Yadav said: “We received information that a person had locked his room from inside and was not opening the door despite repeatedly being asked to do so. Upon reaching the place we looked in from the window and since the situation was suspicious, we broke open the door in the presence of the neighbours.”

Forensic experts were called at the spot and detailed examination of the place was carried out, he said.

The man has been identified as 39-year-old Sam Kamanish, a native of Kerala, who had been working as a laboratory technician at Medigram Hospital in Saharanpur for the past ten years. The woman, 24-year-old Aastha, was a resident of the Gagalheri area and worked as a teacher at a private intermediate college.

“The man slit his wrist and partially hung himself from the window of the room while the woman had most probably consumed a poisonous substance. There are no wounds on the female’s body,” ASP Yadav said.

According to police, Sam and Aastha first met around four years ago when Aastha’s mother was undergoing treatment at Medigram Hospital. Their acquaintance gradually developed into a romantic relationship. Police said Sam was already married, but his wife had moved to Delhi several years ago for work.

Aastha’s family had reportedly opposed to their relationship.

On Wednesday morning, Aastha left home for college but did not reach her workplace. When she failed to return by evening, the family began searching for her and informed the police. Aastha’s father expressed suspicion that Sam might be involved, prompting police to launch an investigation.

CCTV footage from the hospital reportedly showed the two leaving together in a car. With the help of the car driver, police traced them to Sam’s rented accommodation later that night.

Police said the both bodies were sent for post-mortem examination. Aastha’s body has been handed over to her family, while authorities are waiting for Sam’s relatives to arrive from Kerala before releasing his body.

Officials said all possible angles are being investigated, and the exact circumstances surrounding the deaths will become clear after the investigation and post-mortem findings.