Notice to search engines for ads on sex determination

NEW DELHI: Popular web search engines run by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo appear to have cocked a snook at the Supreme Court order directing the Centre and state governments to strictly implement the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act banning sex determination of fetus.
A PIL filed by Sabu Mathew George presented evidence to a bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and J M Panchal about the impunity with which ads and links provided in the search engines were promoting sex determination.
The bench issued notices to the ministries of health and communications & information technology as well as to Google India, Yahoo India and Microsoft Corporation (I) Ltd seeking their response to the PIL. George said the apex court in 2003 had ordered strict implementation of the PNDT Act, which aims to prevent pre-natal sex determination that, in India, lead to female feticide.