SC directs Centre to stop ‘Blue Whale’
DD asked to telecast educative programmes to counter menace
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to take steps to stop the online Blue Whale game, which induces youngsters to play the game and forces them to commit suicide.
Observing that it is a national problem, the court said what Blue Whale game conceives are dangerous to life and whatever endangers life has to be condemned and can never be permitted.
Dealing with public interest writ petitions seeking immediate ban on Blue Whale game, a three judge bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Kanwilkar and D.Y. Chadnrachud also asked national broadcaster Doordarshan to prepare a programme in consultation with the ministries of women and child development and human resources development to telecast educative messages/clips of appropriate duration at the relevant time about the evil impact of Blue Whale and such other harming and life threatening games. It said the parents and the children should get properly instructed that a child cannot be involved in those kinds of games, or, to put it differently, trapped in such games. Needless to say that the programme has to be conceived by Doordarshan in consultation with the two
ministries within a week. The competent authority may also explore the possibility to telecast the said messages/clips at the appropriate time in private television channels. The competent authority may also consider spreading awareness through other mediums, so that awareness in this regard is spread, it added. The present writ petitions were filed to take immediate measures to ban/block all sites linked with the Blue Whale online game or any other form of violent and immoral games similar in nature. Mr Vijay Hansaria, senior counsel, specifically emphasised on the Blue Whale online game, which leads people in such a path where they are brainwashed and dragged to commit suicide.
Earlier, P.S. Narsimha, additional solicitor general, informed the court that the government has set up a panel which is engaged in stopping such games.