SC- OTT PLATFORMS SHOW PORNOGRAPHY, NEED REGULATION

5th march

Today, the Supreme Court's discussion revolved around the nature of the content on OTT platforms.

The Court observed that OTT platforms contain pornography nowadays, and there should be a mechanism to screen such programs. The bench directed the Central Government to place guidelines regulating social media. The Court further emphasized IT guidelines for intermediaries and digital platforms, stating that "We went through the guidelines, there are no teeth, no power of prosecution. They are just guidelines and no mechanism to control”.

The Supreme Court heard an anticipatory bail plea filed by Aparna Purohit (India head of Amazon Prime). During the brief hearing, Counsel appearing on behalf of Aparna stated that she is just an employee in the company neither, an actor nor a producer, yet she has been accused in 10 cases across the country.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the central government, said that the central government could prepare a draft of the legislation and place it before the Hon’ble court; he will also be placing The Information Technology (Guidelines for intermediaries and digital media ethics code) Rules, 2021 on record.

Author: Papiha Ghoshal