(8 June 2007 9:45 pm)

NEW DELHI: Even as a section of the Shiv Sena cracked down on cyber cafés in Mumbai to voice their protest against what they termed as attacks on some religious communities on the social networking site Orkut, the central government says there is no question of banning the website.

Controller of Certifying Authorities Dr N Vijayaditya told indiantelevision.com that the complaint by the Shiv Sena and the Mumbai police only related to some content, and not the site operated by the internet company Google.

He said the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team was studying the complaint sent to it by the Thane police recommending restrictions across India on Orkut, designed in January 2004 by Turkish software engineer Orkut Buyukkokten.

The team functions under the CCA which was formed in 2003 under the Information Technology Act to regulate online content and has the power to block websites deemed offensive.

Controller for Certification Dr N Vijayaditya told HT: “We have to study the police report before we come to a conclusion.”

Sections 24 to 31 of the Information Technology Act 2000 give powers to the CCA to examine whether any website has violated the Act or rules drawn thereunder, and can suspend the licence to operate the site in India.

According to media reports, Thane Deputy Commissioner of Police Anup Kumar Singh has asked cyber cafes in the region to request customers to refrain from using the website while it waits from the report from the centre.

Another media report said Shiv Sena was working to create its own network to monitor sites that use abusive language about any religion.