PIL Urges Regulation of OTT Content by Autonomous Body

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the establishment of an autonomous body to regulate and filter online video content on OTT platforms in India. The PIL underscores existing regulatory gaps, citing Netflix's 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' as a case in point. Filed by lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha and Apurva Arhatia, the plea seeks to address potential issues arising from unregulated online content and the abuse of freedom of expression.

A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed on Tuesday in the Supreme Court, seeking a directive to the Centre to establish an autonomous body for monitoring and filtering online video content on over-the-top (OTT) platforms in India.

The PIL cites Netflix's 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' as an example, claiming that the series distorts historical facts and promotes a biased agenda. The petitioners, lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha and Apurva Arhatia, argue that the absence of regulatory checks allows such content to mislead viewers.

They emphasized that while the Central Board of Film Certification regulates traditional films, no similar mechanism exists for OTT content, leading to potential misuse of freedom of expression guaranteed under Article 19. The plea also mentions that ineffective self-regulation under the IT Rules 2021 has exacerbated the issue.

(With inputs from agencies.)