Twitter India chief wins relief from court over police probe into hate video posted on social media site: Sources
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India's federal government has been locking horns with Twitter over non-compliance with certain federal rules.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI (REUTERS) - An Indian court on Thursday (June 24) said Twitter's country head should face no coercive action in a case where police summoned him for failing to stop the spread of a video that allegedly incited religious discord, three sources said.
Last week, police in northern Uttar Pradesh state sent a written summons to Twitter India head Manish Maheshwari to appear before officials and answer allegations that include inciting "hate and enmity" between Hindu and Muslim communities.
Mr Maheshwari, who is based in Bengaluru city in southern Karnataka state, appealed to the court and sought to quash the summons, sources familiar with the matter said.
On Thursday, "the judge said no coercive action can be taken against him and he can be examined via video conferencing", one of the sources told Reuters.
A second source said the order in effect gives Mr Maheshwari protection from any possible arrest by the police.
Twitter declined to comment.
The police case had been registered over a video of a few men, apparently Hindu, beating an elderly man believed to be a Muslim and cutting his beard. The police report named Twitter, its local unit and seven others.
Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has lashed out at Twitter for the incident, saying its failure to act was perplexing.
The controversy comes at a time when India's federal government has locked horns with Twitter over non-compliance with certain federal rules, raising concerns that the platform may no longer enjoy protection against user-generated content.
