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This is an archive article published on April 2, 2024

Gujarat HC restrains Google from deleting account blocked over ‘explicit content’

Google blocked an IT professional’s account after he uploaded a photo of his grandmother giving him a bath when he was two years old

Guj HCThe petitioner, who has had a Google account since 2013, was notified on May 11, 2023, that his account had been blocked owing to “explicit content” involving potential child sexual abuse or exploitation. File photo

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday came to the rescue of a 24-year-old engineer who has been locked out of his Google account as it was flagged for “explicit content” after he uploaded a photo that showed him being given a bath by his grandmother when he was two.

Justice VD Nanavati restrained the tech giant from deleting the account, after lawyer Dipen Desai informed the court that Google had communicated to the petitioner, an IT professional, that it would delete his account in April.

Desai further submitted that the petitioner’s Google account contained photos, emails and business transactions and that he had also been unable to access Google Pay since his account was disabled by the company.

The petitioner, who has had a Google account since 2013, was notified on May 11, 2023, that his account had been blocked owing to “explicit content” involving potential child sexual abuse or exploitation after he uploaded the aforementioned photo.

In August 2023, the petitioner served a legal notice to Google but received no response. On March 15, pursuant to his petition, the high court issued a notice but the tech giant is yet to respond.

Taking into consideration the petitioner’s arguments, Justice Nanavati directed Google not to delete the account permanently.

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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