PUBG Mobile: IFF moves Gujarat High Court against the ban

PUBG Mobile ban was recently imposed in Gujarat. Although the ban hasn’t been renewed in Ahmedabad, the IFF has filed a PIL before the Gujarat High Court.

PUBG Mobile ban in India challenged by the IFF. (HT Photo)

PUBG Mobile's explosive popularity took over the country by storm. The battle royale game has however been receiving flak in India with Gujarat having banned it in some cities. The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has now filed a PIL before the Gujarat High Court challenging the PUBG Mobile ban.

The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) is an organisation which fights for online freedom dealing with cases like net neutrality, privacy and free expression. Its latest campaign is against the PUBG Mobile ban in Gujarat. The IFF has challenged the Gujarat High Court saying that the PUBG Mobile ban violates Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.

PUBG Mobile ban has been lifted from Ahmedabad but during the course of it there were many arrests made. The IFF argues that of the 21 people arrested in total around 13 of them were young college students. There's no official statement on whether the PUBG Mobile ban will be imposed again, and if other states will follow as well. The IFF expects the hearing to be listed in a week or two.

In response to the PUBG Mobile ban in Gujarat, the company said that it was "surprised" on hearing about it.

"We are working to understand the legal basis of such bans, and hope we can have a constructive dialogue with relevant authorities to explain our objectives and that they withdraw the prohibition. To PUBG Mobile players, we want to assure you that we are on your side and we will try our best to find a reasonable solution," the company said in a statement.

PUBG Mobile started testing a six-hour time limit in India, but later clarified that it was a glitch on their side. The company is yet to introduce any effective measures around the demands of ban of PUBG Mobile.

Similar to this case, another Chinese app 'TikTok' is also facing a potential ban in India. The Madras High Court has requested the Centre to ban TikTok in India citing reasons of the viral app"encouraging pornography". TikTok, a video sharing platform has seen immense popularity globally and in India. It is highly popular among teens.