Supreme Court Rejects Plea for OTT Regulatory Body

The Supreme Court has dismissed a public interest litigation seeking a regulatory board to oversee OTT platforms. The plea highlighted risks of unregulated content, ranging from explicit scenes to national security threats. It called for a regulatory authority akin to what exists for traditional media like film and television.

The Supreme Court of India dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Friday that sought a regulatory board for over-the-top (OTT) and streaming platforms in the country. A bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, addressed the plea, describing the trend of PILs as shifting towards policy concerns. The judges expressed a sense of missing genuine PILs amidst this shift.

The dismissed plea argued that OTT platforms currently lack the regulatory oversight experienced by traditional media, such as cinema and television. According to advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha, who filed the plea, the absence of pre-release certification for OTT content has resulted in an increase in explicit scenes, promoting violence, substance abuse, and other harmful material.

Jha further criticized the inefficiencies of the IT Rules 2021, which were designed to allow self-regulation of OTT platforms. The plea claimed that these platforms exploit existing loopholes, publishing controversial content unchecked, which has implications for national security and the promotion of activities like gambling and drug use. The plea urged for a preventive approach by creating a regulatory body to evaluate digital content before it reaches the public.

(With inputs from agencies.)