Supreme Court notice to Centre on plea to ban sexually explicit content on OTT, social media
The bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that the government should do something about the issue raised in the plea.
The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Centre and others on a plea seeking a direction to take appropriate steps to prohibit streaming of “sexually explicit content” on OTT and social media platforms.
According to a PTI report, a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih said the petition raises an important concern and the issue was within the domain of the executive or the legislature.
"As it is, there are allegations that we are encroaching upon the legislature and executive power," Justice Gavai said.
The bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that the government should do something about the issue raised in the plea.
“You should do something about it,” the bench said.
Mehta said some regulations in this regard were in existence while some more were in contemplation.
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What did the petitioners argue?
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain appeared for the petitioners.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by five petitioners who have also sought guidelines constituting a National Content Control Authority to prohibit sexually explicit content on OTT and social media platforms.
The plea alleged that there were pages or profiles on social media sites that were disseminating pornographic materials without any filter and various OTT platforms were streaming content that also had potential elements of child pornography.
"Such sexually deviant material pollute the minds of youth, children and even grown up persons which gives rise to perverted and unnatural sexual tendencies thereby leading to an increase in the crime rate," PTI quoted the plea as saying.
The plea expressed concerns that if left unchecked, the" unregulated spread of obscene material could have severe consequences on societal values, mental health and public safety."
"It is the need of the hour that the state must uphold its constitutional duty to safeguard public morality, protect vulnerable populations, and ensure that the digital space does not become a breeding ground for deviant behaviour," the plea said.
