The Court had passed the interim order on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition which sought to ban Tik Tok app on the ground that it allegedly contained contents that “degraded culture and encouraged pornography”. (Image source: Reuters) The Court had passed the interim order on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition which sought to ban Tik Tok app on the ground that it allegedly contained contents that “degraded culture and encouraged pornography”. (Image source: Reuters)

After the Madras High Court refused to stay its order banning the popular mobile app TikTok, the government on Tuesday asked Google and Apple to comply with the court order and remove the application. Reuters reported that hours after Madras HC refused China-based Bytedance Technology’s request to suspend the ban, Google blocked access to the app in India.

The app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, allows users to create short videos and then share them. The court had directed the Centre to ban the Tiktok app over concerns about access to pornographic content through it.

ALSO READ | SC refuses to stay ban on TikTok app, says matter already before Madras HC

Refusing to put a stay on its April 3 order, the court also appointed senior advocate Arvind Datar as an independent counsel in the case to examine the implications of the app. The next hearing in the case has been posted for April 24.

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The owners of TikTok are positive about the appointment of Arvind Datar as amicus curiae (independent counsel).

“We welcome the decision of the Madras High Court to appoint Arvind Datar as amicus curiae (independent counsel) to the court. We have faith in the Indian judicial system and we are optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by over 120 million monthly active users in India, who continue using TikTok to showcase their creativity and capture moments that matter in their everyday lives,” the company said.

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