The government stressed how OTT platforms, 25 of which have now been blocked over “obscene” and “pornographic” content, ignored or circumvented warnings issued months ago.
It cited the removal of over 100 web series from the platform Ullu.
“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,” said sources in the union ministry for information and broadcasting.
Also read | Govt bans ULLU, ALTBalaji, 23 other OTT platforms
Among earlier interventions was the takedown of the series ‘House Arrest’ by Ullu in May this year.
Before this, in February, an advisory was issued to OTT platform “to adhere to Code of Ethics prescribed under IT Rules 2021 and laws related to obscenity in India”, sources said.
“Five platforms which were blocked earlier in March 2024 started publishing obscene content on new website domains,” the source added.
{{/usCountry}}“Five platforms which were blocked earlier in March 2024 started publishing obscene content on new website domains,” the source added.
{{/usCountry}}Also last year, in September, the 25 platforms now banned “continued to publish obscene, in some cases pornographic content" and “ignored warnings”.
Action was also taken by the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC), a self-regulatory body headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court, of which 40 OTT platforms, including ALTT and Ullu, are members. It had found some of the scenes in an ALTT series to be “totally distasteful and bizarre, where sex and nudity was shown without any contextual justification just to augment viewership”.
About Ullu and ALTT, in particular, the National Commission on Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had approached the government in July and August 2024, it is learnt.
The government has thus banned 26 websites and 14 mobile apps belonging to the 25 OTT platforms.
The banned platforms include:
- Big Shots
- Desiflix
- Boomex
- NeonX VIP
- Navarasa Lite
- Gulab
- Kangan
- Bull
- ShowHit
- Jalva
- Wow Entertainment
- Look Entertainment
- Hitprime
- Fugi
- Feneo
- ShowX
- Sol Talkies
- Adda TV
- HotX VIP
- MoodX
- Triflicks
- Mojflix
- Hulchul
- ALTT
- Ullu
The ministry found their content included sexual innuendos “and in some cases long portions of sexually explicit scenes, thereby being pornographic in nature”, HT has learnt.
The ban now has come under a number of laws, including the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
The matter had reached even the Supreme Court earlier this year in a public-interest plea, and notices were issued to Netflix, Amazon Prime, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, too, besides Ullu, ALTT and others.
But eventually the court said the issue had to be dealt with by the executive or the legislature. "It's not our domain, you do something," the court told the government.