The High court of Telangana has issued notice on a plea seeking ban on TikTok mobile app for allegedly undermining the grave medical seriousness of deadly Coronavirus and simulating the Muslim community in disobeying the social distancing norms stipulated by the Government to prevent the spread of COVID 19.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy issued notices to the State and Central Governments, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Tik Tok and its parent company Bytedance Technology Private Limited (India).
The petition has been filed by Advocate Ashok Ram Kumar in the form of a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of Telangana High Court seeking ban of the mobile app in public interest which was in violation of the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
The petitioner has referred to various videos, one of which shows the people belonging to the Muslim Community say that they would not be affected by the virus since they prayed five times a day.
The petitioner has submitted that such videos are an act of rebellion against the government and against public interest putting lives of many in danger.
The bench has listed the matter for next hearing on June 2.
Exactly a year ago, in April 2019, the Madras HC had banned TikTok, citing the spread of pornographic content on the video sharing platform. The ban lasted 20 days after whih the HC itself revoked its earlier order.
-India Legal Bureau