Supreme Court Calls For Legal Action Against Obscenity On OTT Platforms And Social Media, Centre Mulls New Rules

On Monday (28 April), the Supreme Court concurred with worries regarding obscenity on social media and OTT platforms, stating that it is necessary for the Centre to take lawful measures to tackle the issue, the Indian Express reported.

In response, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that certain rules have been established and others are being considered regarding the matter of obscenity on OTT platforms and social media.

In the course of considering a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by journalist and former information commissioner Uday Mahurkar among others, Justices B R Gavai and A G Masih also served notice to the central government and OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, AltBalaji, Ullu Digital, and Mubi. Additionally, social media platforms such as X Corp, Google, Meta Inc, and Apple were also notified.

The petitioners' representative, Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, emphasised that the litigation was non-adversarial and highlighted a legitimate issue. Jain further pointed out that the content was freely circulating on social media platforms without any limitations.

The bench observed in its order, as quoted by the Indian Express, “This petition raises an important concern about the display of various objectionable, obscene, and indecent contents on OTT platforms and social media. Solicitor General states that the contents go to the extent of perversity. He submits that certain more regulations are in contemplation.”

The plea further argued, as reported by the Indian Express, that “the unchecked circulation of such material, including child pornography and soft-core adult content, has contributed to a rising trend of crimes against women and children while negatively impacting the psychological development of young minds."