(Image source from: })

The Apex Court on Wednesday restrained search engines like Google India, Yahoo India and Microsoft Corporation (I) Pvt Ltd from advertising or sponsoring any advertisement on sex determination technologies in violation with the Indian laws.

The decision came after a week of the launch of "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Supreme Court also directed the search engine firms that if any advertisement is existed on any search engine, they should be withdrawn forthwith by the search engines prohibition of advertisement relating to pre-natal determination of sex (PC-PNDT) Act.

Passing an interim order, the court said, "It is directed that Google, Yahoo and Microsoft shall not advertise or sponsor any advertisement which would violate Section 22 of the pre-natal determination of sex (PC-PNDT) Act," a bench of justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant said.

The order was passed after Google and Microsoft argued that they have not been advertising any content violating the PC-PNDT Act or any Indian law.

They also said that it was unclear from the government's affidavit about nature of information sought as it has only stated that the search engines should be asked to provide or submit details of measures adopted by them to block or filter keywords and sponsored links violating the PC-PNDT Act and amendments.

The apex court said matters relating to complete blocking of the items suggested by the government and providing the URL and IP addresses by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft would be taken up on February 11.

In India sex determining techniques are leading to female foeticide heavily, the child sex ratio existing in India is alarming the future of India.

-Kannamsai