National Dastak said it received the legal notice on April 3, 2024.
YouTube has issued notices to the digital news platform National Dastak, which has approximately 9,410,000 subscribers, and another platform, Article19 India, following directives from the Centre to block these channels. National Dastak said it received the legal notice on April 3, 2024.
National Dastak said that the Centre is afraid of a news portal for the Dalits while lakhs of newspapers and television news channels are allowed to run. The Centre or YouTube has provided no reason for the action against the news portal.
“Lakhs of newspapers and TV news channels are running, and yet there is so much fear over the Bahujans’ National Dastak?” the news outlet posted in Hindi along with an image of the legal notice.
Article19, led by journalist Navin Kumar and with 2.8 million subscribers, also faced a similar notice. Facebook also restricted Article19″s page on April 4, he said.
“The government wants to shut down National Dastak,” the news portal said in a post on X. “YouTube sent a notice on April 3. Article 19 [another YouTube channel] has also received a notice. All this is happening while the model code of conduct is in effect.”
National Dastak, operational since 2015, positions itself as a platform amplifying the voices of marginalized communities such as Dalits, tribals, women, farmers, minorities, and the oppressed. Despite the notices, both National Dastak and Article19 India”s channels remain active.
The Wire”s founding editor Siddharth Vardarajan wrote on X: “This is an outrageous attempt at censorship by the Modi government. National Dastak is an important digital news channel with millions of subscribers and viewers. YouTube should not give in to this unconstitutional bullying.”
The lack of justification from either the Centre or YouTube for targeting these news portals raises questions about the motives behind such actions. YouTube cited compliance with Rule 15 (2) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021, and Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000, which empower designated officers to direct social media platforms to block content deemed problematic.
Rule 15 (2) gives the power to an officer authorised by the information and broadcasting ministry to direct social media platforms to block content.
Under Section 69A of the Act, an authorised personnel in the Union government, not below the rank of a joint secretary, can send content removal orders to social media platforms. The provision allows the Centre to issue content-blocking orders to online intermediaries if the content is deemed a threat to national security, sovereignty or public order.
These developments follow the removal of Bolta Hindustan”s YouTube channel on April 4, also at the directive of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Samar Raj, Bolta Hindustan”s editor, said that YouTube offered no explanation regarding the channel”s removal.
