Citing denial of assistance from US authorities, a Delhi court today said the proceedings against 13 websites, including Facebook and Google, are "stayed" in a complaint case which accused them of promoting class enmity and undermining national integrity.
The court, however, ordered that recording of "pre-charge evidence" against other accused websites, including Facebook India and Google India (P) Ltd, would commence from September 28.
"The proceedings qua accused number (13 accused websites) ....Have already been stayed due to denial of assistance by the US department of Justice, Government of USA," Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja said.
The 13 websites against whom proceedings have been stayed include Facebook, Orkut, YouTube, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier told the court that the US authorities are unable to "execute" the request for assistance in serving summons to these US-based websites.
During the day's hearing, the court said that it would commence the recording of pre-charge evidence in the case from September 28.
"All the accused were summoned by the order of the predecessor court for offences punishable under sections 292 (sale, etc., of obscene books), 293 (sale, etc., of obscene objects to young persons), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC, 1860.
"Since the offence under section 293 of IPC is punishable with maximum imprisonment of three years, the present case shall be tried as a warrant case otherwise than police report. Put up for recording of pre-charge evidence on September 28, 2013," the court said.
