A court in India has ordered Google’s local subsidiary and government officials to prevent the appearance of adult content suggestions in its search engine. This directive from the Madras High Court follows a public interest litigation alleging that Google’s search suggestions lead to accidental exposure to "pornography or other obscene content."

Madras High Court Order

The Madras High Court issued a notice as part of a public interest litigation, as reported by the Daily Thanthi. The censorship request was initiated by Chennai-based lawyer S. Gnaneswaran and heard by Chief Justice D. Krishnakumar and Justice P. B. Balaji. Gnaneswaran claimed that when a "genuine-internet user types anything in Google’s search engine, it suggests some sites related to pornography or other obscene content." He argued this could lead to individuals "opening the illegal sites without knowing the contents, and having to face embarrassment."

Gnaneswaran’s request also raised concerns that minors might "end up opening those sites due to curiosity, leading to a worst scenario to society." The advocate asked the court "to direct the ministry of electronics and information technology to act upon his representation to prevent such porn sites suggestions in Google search engine." In response, the judges issued a notice to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and to the local Google subsidiary, granting them two weeks to submit a reply.

Broader Censorship Landscape in India

India’s government, led by Narendra Modi, has been conducting a "War on Porn," aligning with approaches seen from religious conservatives in other countries. Indian law does not provide legal protection for adult content. Modi’s ministers have repeatedly geoblocked platforms and sites within the country, asserting that they "promoted obscenity and vulgarity under the guise of ‘creative expression.’" The Modi government also enforces laws against the crime of "depicting nudity and sexual acts."

Historically, many of India’s cultures, including Hinduism, have openly depicted nudity and sexual acts for millennia. However, current conservative ideologues support the country’s extreme censorship laws against sexual expression. These attitudes are noted to have originated in the 19th century with imported Victorian notions under the British Empire, which reportedly shamed Indians for their openness about sex. Recent government and media reports in India have conflated both explicit and simulated sex under the crime of "obscenity."

Previous Judicial Directives and Google's Compliance

This Madras High Court order is not an isolated incident concerning content regulation in India. On May 13, 2026, the Delhi High Court also addressed the issue of obscene content. A bench of Chief Justice D. K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked Google and Apple to strictly act against the dissemination of "obscene pornographic content" through mobile applications hosted on their online platforms. The court remarked that it could not permit an "entire generation" to be "ruined."

The Delhi High Court stated that social media intermediaries have a "most vital role" to play in the current legal framework. It directed them to act against the dissemination of pornographic content not only upon receiving a complaint but also by exercising due diligence at the time of uploading. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Rubika Thapa against the hosting of mobile applications offering "vulgar and pornographic content" on platforms run by Google and Apple. The court also issued notice to the central government, Google LLC, Apple, and CERT-In on the PIL, requesting an action-taken report from the platforms.

Globally, Google and its subsidiary companies, such as YouTube, have removed or omitted information from their services to comply with company policies, legal demands, and government censorship laws. In 2012, Google ruled in favor of more than half of the content removal requests it received via court orders and phone calls, excluding countries like China or Iran, which completely blocked the site or its subsidiaries. As of 2025, Google continues to receive hundreds of thousands of removal requests annually from governments worldwide, most commonly related to national security, copyright, or defamation, and regularly reviews each request for compliance with its policies.

Key Facts

  • The Madras High Court ordered Google's Indian subsidiary and government officials to prevent adult content suggestions in its search engine.
  • The order stems from a public interest litigation filed by Chennai lawyer S. Gnaneswaran.
  • Gnaneswaran claimed Google's search suggestions could lead to accidental exposure to "pornography or other obscene content" for both adults and minors.
  • The Modi government in India enforces laws against "depicting nudity and sexual acts" and has geoblocked platforms for "obscenity and vulgarity."
  • The Delhi High Court, on May 13, 2026, also directed Google and Apple to strictly act against "obscene pornographic content" on mobile applications.
  • Google globally receives hundreds of thousands of content removal requests annually from governments.