Petition in Gujarat says Pokémon GO is hurting religious sentiments
The petitioner said offering eggs, which have to be collected as part of the game, to people in places of worship is objectionable.
The Gujarat High Court has issued notices to the Centre, state government and developers of Pokémon GO, Niantic Inc, over a plea that alleges the game hurts religious sentiments of members of the Hindu and Jain communities. The petitioner, Alay Anil Dave, said the augmented reality game showed the image of eggs in places of worship and that it was blasphemous to carry non-vegetarian food inside religious places, PTI reported.
Dave’s lawyer said, “People playing the game get their points in the form of eggs which generally appear in the places of worship of different religious groups. To find eggs in temples of Hindus and Jains is blasphemous, and therefore my client has sought ban on the game from the country.”
The petition also raised a threat of life to the players and infringement of privacy, and sought to ban the game in India.
The augmented reality game allows players to capture, train and battle virtual creatures. Soon after its release, the market value of Japanese gaming giant Nintendo surpassed that of Sony, with its stock having more than doubled since the release of the widely popular app.