<p>Karnataka High Court on Thursday said Twitter Inc's country head should face no "coercive action" in a case where police summoned him for failing to stop the spread of a video that allegedly incited religious discord, three sources said.</p>.<p>Last week, police in Uttar Pradesh sent a written summons to Twitter India head Manish Maheshwari to appear before officials and answer allegations that include inciting "hate and enmity" between Hindu and Muslim communities.</p>.<p>Maheshwari, who is based in Bengaluru city in southern Karnataka state, appealed to the court and sought to quash the summons, sources familiar with the matter said.</p>.<p>On Thursday, "the judge said no coercive action can be taken against him and he can be examined via video conferencing," one of the sources told Reuters.</p>.<p>A second source said the order in effect gives Maheshwari protection from any possible arrest by the police.</p>.<p>Twitter declined to comment.</p>.<p>The police case had been registered over a video of a few men beating an elderly man believed to be a Muslim and cutting his beard. The police report named Twitter, its local unit and seven others.</p>.<p>IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has lashed out at Twitter for the incident, saying its failure to act was "perplexing."</p>.<p>The controversy comes at a time when the Government of India has locked horns with Twitter over non-compliance with certain federal rules, raising concerns that the platform may no longer enjoy protection against user-generated content. </p>
<p>Karnataka High Court on Thursday said Twitter Inc's country head should face no "coercive action" in a case where police summoned him for failing to stop the spread of a video that allegedly incited religious discord, three sources said.</p>.<p>Last week, police in Uttar Pradesh sent a written summons to Twitter India head Manish Maheshwari to appear before officials and answer allegations that include inciting "hate and enmity" between Hindu and Muslim communities.</p>.<p>Maheshwari, who is based in Bengaluru city in southern Karnataka state, appealed to the court and sought to quash the summons, sources familiar with the matter said.</p>.<p>On Thursday, "the judge said no coercive action can be taken against him and he can be examined via video conferencing," one of the sources told Reuters.</p>.<p>A second source said the order in effect gives Maheshwari protection from any possible arrest by the police.</p>.<p>Twitter declined to comment.</p>.<p>The police case had been registered over a video of a few men beating an elderly man believed to be a Muslim and cutting his beard. The police report named Twitter, its local unit and seven others.</p>.<p>IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has lashed out at Twitter for the incident, saying its failure to act was "perplexing."</p>.<p>The controversy comes at a time when the Government of India has locked horns with Twitter over non-compliance with certain federal rules, raising concerns that the platform may no longer enjoy protection against user-generated content. </p>