Abusive Language In The Name of Creativity Will Not be Tolerated: Government To OTT Platforms

Home News
IndiaAbusive Language In Name of Creativity Will Not be Tolerated: Govt’s Stern Message To OTT Platforms

“If there is a need to make any changes in the rules regarding this, will not back down in that direction either. Strict action will be taken to stop obscenity and abuse,” the Union Minister added.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur

New Delhi: In a stern message, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur mentioned that the abusive language and uncivilized behaviour on OTT (Over The Top) platforms within the title of creativity can’t be tolerated. “Abusive language and uncivilized behaviour in the name of creativity cannot be tolerated. The government is serious about the complaint of increasing obscene content on OTT,” Anurag Thakur mentioned.

“If there is a need to make any changes in the rules regarding this, will not back down in that direction either. Strict action will be taken to stop obscenity and abuse,” the Union Minister added.

Addressing the problem of rising complaints in regard to the OTT platforms, he mentioned, “On level one, the producer is supposed to solve the complaints. Almost 90 per cent of complaints are cleared at stage one only. Next is the association level, where almost everything is cleared. ”

“When the complaints finally reach the government, strict actions are taken. However, the complaints have only increased in the last few days,” he added.

Delhi High Court Upholds Order for Registration of FIR Against TVF

Notably, the Delhi High courtroom on March 7, upheld an order for registration of FIR in opposition to the TVF and its actor and in addition requested the federal government to take steps to test the language of the content material of (Over The Top) OTT platforms.

However, the courtroom clarified that the path to register FIR within the current case doesn’t embrace a path to arrest any of the accused/petitioners.

The excessive courtroom additionally requested the federal government to take steps for imposing the stricter utility of its guidelines qua the intermediaries as notified in Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma mentioned within the judgement, “this court draws the attention of the Ministry of Information and Technology to the situations which are fast emerging on a daily basis and to take steps for enforcing stricter application of its rules qua the intermediaries as notified in Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and make any laws or rules as deemed appropriate in its wisdom, in light of the observations made in this judgement.”

The energy of obscenity and sexual explicitness of language used on this net sequence due to this fact, can’t be undermined and it has a particular impact of depraving and corrupting the minds of individuals, particularly the impressionable minds and would require to be confined and subjected to Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India, and on the identical time for transmitting such content material, the petitioners will probably be liable to face motion beneath Section 67 and 67A of I.T. Act, Justice Sharma mentioned.

The bench mentioned, “The task of the Court, in this case, has been tough as it had to strike a delicate balance between free speech and freedom of expression and transmitting to all without classification the content which is obscene, profane, lascivious, sexually explicit in spoken language as it conjures with the words ‘sexually explicit acts’”.

“Words and languages are a very powerful medium and needless to say, words have the power to paint and draw a picture at the same time,” the courtroom mentioned.

(With ANI Inputs)

Published Date: March 19, 2023 9:32 PM IST

Updated Date: March 19, 2023 10:05 PM IST