Facebook India asserts it is not responsible for user content

The quiet on the lawsuit accusing 21 social networking websites in the country for allegedly hosting objectionable content doesn't mean it's over. The latest comes from Facebook India, one of the accused in the case. The Economic Times reports that the social networking site, in one of  its appeals made at a trial court in Delhi stated that they are not responsible for the content that their users upload, and hence, their name be removed from the accusation list. The report further stated that, "Facebook, which has about 46 million users in India, pleaded before the court to remove its name as one of the parties in the petition saying "it is not responsible for hosting the content that may appear on Facebook.com or any website". It said that it is being wrongly prosecuted under the incorrect description of 'Facebook' and stated that its correct addressal is 'Facebook India Online Services Pvt Ltd'."

...and the trial continues ... (Image credit: Getty Images)

Importantly, Facebook India added that it did not control or operate the servers, which host the Facebook.com website, located in the U.S. Facebook India, reportedly further in its statement added that the 'objectionable content' lawsuit that has been filed against it, is deliberate and has been done with ulterior motives. In its written statement, which it filed before Additional Civil Judge Praveen Singh, Facebook India added, "The plaintiff has filed the present suit with ulterior motives to harass Facebook. The present suit is a gross abuse of the process of law and filed with ulterior motive of publicity and causing harassment to it."

It was late last year, when reports about Mufti Aijaz Arshad Qasmi, the founder of Fatwaonline.org filing a lawsuit against 21 social networking websites in the country first surfaced. Qasmi was displeased with the way in which certain websites were hosting objectionable content, which include images, videos, posts, among others; some depicting images of gods and goddesses, too. The government then issued notices to some 21 social networking websites, including popular ones like Facebook, Google, YouTube, among others, asking them to sanitize their content or face a ban. Since then, the lawsuit has been grabbing headlines the world over and the websites have been working at getting their names off the list.