Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray’s faction) Member of Parliament Priyanka Chaturvedi reacted to the Centre’s ban on several OTT platforms for allegedly showing obscene, vulgar, and ‘pornographic’ content and said that an anomaly has been corrected.
Quoting her months old post on X bashing such content and demanding action against it, she wrote, “This. Done, anomaly corrected.”
Also read: Government bans ULLU, ALTBalaji, 23 other OTT platforms over obscene, 'pornographic' content
In the post that she quoted, dating back to May 1, she had written, “I have raised this in the standing committee that apps such as this, namely, Ullu App and Alt Balaji have managed to escape the ban by I&B ministry on apps for obscene content. I am still awaiting their reply.”
The caption accompanied a video from a show on ULLU streaming platform called ‘House Arrest’, hosted by Ajaz Khan. The clip, which went viral and sparked widespread criticism, shows Khan asking contestants to show sex positions on camera.
{{/usCountry}}The caption accompanied a video from a show on ULLU streaming platform called ‘House Arrest’, hosted by Ajaz Khan. The clip, which went viral and sparked widespread criticism, shows Khan asking contestants to show sex positions on camera.
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Full list of 25 OTT platforms banned by Indian govt over ‘pornographic’ content
In a follow up post on X, Chaturvedi wrote, “This is great news. Had been talking about these two apps -Ullu and Alt Balaji in particular for their content, had raised it in the standing committee of Communication and IT. Glad @GoI_MeitY paid heed & did what was needed to be done long time ago!”
Chaturvedi was one of the leaders who spearheaded criticism against that show and other such ‘vulgar’ content on OTT platforms. The show was taken down from the platform in May.
Centre bans ULLU, ALTBalaji
The Centre has taken strict action against apps and websites allegedly showing vulgar and ‘pornographic’ content. As many as 25 apps and websites have been banned, including ALTBalaji, ULLU, Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, and Gulab App, official sources said.
According to sources in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the government has ordered the blocking of websites and applications associated with 25 OTT platforms over allegations that these platforms were hosting content deemed “obscene,” “vulgar,” and, in some instances, “pornographic.”
They added that the action was taken after the content was found to be in "serious violation" of laws in India.
The action comes after the OTT platforms apparently ignored or circumvented warnings issued months ago. Sources in the broadcasting ministry said, “While the platform removes or edits the web series for a temporary period, it either re-uploads or publishes the unedited version after a certain period, thereby attempting to circumvent the warnings.”