SC notice to Centre on plea to ban pornographic content on OTT, social media

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih observed that the petition raises an important concern. Read further on Dynamite News

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday, after hearing a petetion seeking a ban on the streaming of sexually explicit content online, issued a notice to the Centre and others seeking a direction to take appropriate steps to prohibit streaming of “sexually explicit content” on OTT and social media platforms, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

Two Judge Bench

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih observed that the petition raises an important concern. The bench said that this issue comes within the jurisdiction 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 who was 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.

Tushar Mehta Version

Tushar Mehta said some regulations in this regard are already there. The Government is further mulling to implement more new rules to check the content on OTT and social media platforms.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain appeared for the petitioners.

Petitioners Plea

The Apex Court was hearing a plea filed by five petitioners. The petitioners have also sought guidelines about forming a National Content Control Authority to stop sexually explicit content on OTT and social media platforms.

Petitioner Uday Mahurkar

The petitioner Uday Mahurkar claimed 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 has potential elements of child pornography.

Appearing for Mahurkar, advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, emphasised that the petition was not adversarial but highlighted genuine concerns about unrestricted access to explicit content. The plea warned that unregulated sexually explicit material could pollute the minds of youth and children, foster perverted tendencies, and increase crime rates. He stressed that the spread of such content, if unchecked, could severely impact societal values, mental health, and public safety.