Supreme Court issues notice to Center and various OTT platforms on streaming of obscene content

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Center and several major OTT platforms on showcasing content with obscenity both on OTT and on social media.

According to reports, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Ullu, ALTT, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and others.

The notice by the Apex Court was issued in the wake of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction to Centre to take appropriate steps to prohibit the streaming of obscene content on OTT and social media platforms.

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a PIL concerning the need for a regulatory board to monitor and manage over-the-top (OTT) and streaming platforms in India on  October 18, 2024.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said, “This is the problem of PILs. They are all on policy now and we miss our genuine PILs.” The plea has said that these platforms operate without the same checks and balances that traditional media — like films and TV — are subject to.

“Unlike films shown in theatres, OTT content doesn’t go through a certification process before release, which has led to a rise in explicit scenes, violence, substance abuse, and other harmful content, often without proper warnings,” said advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha who filed the plea.

The Union of India and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting introduced IT Rules 2021 to self-regulate OTT platforms however the same has been inefficient, the petition stated.

Also Read: SC rejects plea seeking regulatory board to monitor, manage OTT platforms

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