The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Central Government, the Gujarat Government and Niantic Inc, the San Francisco-based developer of the controversial mobile phone game Pokemon Go.
The HC acted on the basis of a Public Interest litigation (PIl) by Alay Dave seeking a ban on the game and its formal launch in India, alleging that it hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus and Jains. The court sent an email notice to Niantic Inc and the matter is likely to come up for hearing next week.
The game has been banned in several countries across the globe, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran, over religious and safety concerns, with its developers Niantic and Nintendo being sued across the US over the issue of trespassing by players of Pokemon Go.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice VM Pancholi issued the notices.
“The key argument that I put forth is that the game is hurting religious sentiments,” Nachiketa Dave, the lawyer who argued the PIl in court said.
The petitioner contended that the game sees players enter various places of worship, including Hindu and Jain temples, to score points. “Those who succeed are rewarded with eggs. Offering eggs to people in temples, even in the virtual world, is highly objectionable and not a done thing. These religions propagate non-violence and vegetarianism, while eggs are non-vegetarian food. We cannot stand this as it is blasphemous to carry non-vegetarian food inside a place of worship of Hindus and Jains,” Dave said.
The petitioner also sought directions to the Union and the State Government, to stop the formal launch of the game in India. “It also compromises the safety of the player and lot of accidents have taken place due to players getting engrossed in playing this game, other than privacy and security issues,” Dave said. “Though it has not been launched in India officially, people in India are still playing it.”