Snapdeal taken to court for selling sex toys in India

Delhi based lawyer files lawsuit against Snapdeal for selling sex toys

India’s premier eCommerce website, Snapdeal has been taken to court by a Delhi-based lawyer for selling sex toys and accessories. According to a report filed by Quartz India, Suhaas Joshi, a Supreme Court lawyer has filed a complaint against Snapdeal.com and Chennai-based Ohmysecret.com for selling sex toys online.

Joshi says that Snapdeal and Ohmysecret are openly selling such kind of toys and abetting gay sex which is a criminal offence in India. Joshi says that Snapdeal lists various sexual products like lubricants, massagers and vibrators.

 

Gay sex is explicitly illegal in India under Article 377 of the Constitution but is rarely used to convict the growing LGBT community in India. Also selling of sex toys is also prohibited in India under obscenity laws and likewise, these laws are rarely used against marketers

However Joshi’s complain will now force the courts and police to look into various sections of the Article 377 and Obscenity rules under IPC.

The metropolitan magistrate of the Tis Hazari court in Delhi has taken cognizance of Joshi’s complaint and directed the police to file a FIR and produce a report within 30 days via a court order dated February 5.

Responding to Quartz, a Snapdeal spokesperson said, “Snapdeal.com is an online marketplace which provides a platform to connect buyers and sellers. We understand that at times sellers may list products which may be inappropriate, we take down such listings upon being notified of the same.”

Last month,  the government of Telengana had sought to to block websites of eCommerce companies like Flipkart,Iambesharam.com, Thatspersonal.com and Ohmysecrets.com for “objectionable content” as the retailers were selling intimate items.

The above mentioned products are now delisted from Snapdeal website.

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