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Madhya Pradesh HC issues Notice to Netflix & Others in a Public Interest Litigation

Team SoOLEGAL 25 Sep 2019 2:18pm

Madhya Pradesh HC issues Notice to Netflix & Others in a Public Interest Litigation

While hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding the broadcasting of the sexually explicit and illicit content streamed by internet-media content streaming sites, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued notice to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Alt Balaji, Voot, Yashraj Films, Zee5 and others for regulating the obscene and illicit content being streamed online through their platforms.


The PIL has been filed by an NGO namely MAATR FOUNDATION seeking to regulate vulgar/obscene online content being streamed by around 11 different entities which have been made respondents in the said PIL along with the Central Government and CBFC.


A two-judge Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court at Indore, comprising of Justice S.C. Sharma and Justice Shailendra Shukla, after going through the arguments advanced by the counsels for the petitioner, also directed the Central Govt. and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) along with others mentioned above, to file their reply to the said PIL within a period of six weeks.


The PIL mentions that “several national/multinational companies acting in the capacity of media content streamers are broadcasting obscene, unregulated, sexually explicit, vulgar and illicit content. Even the children who are below the age of 18 years can gain easy access to this content. These content streamers are not only objectifying women but also showing them in a bad light and are filing the minds with lascivious thoughts which is violative of their fundamental right to live with dignity.”


The petitioners have prayed before the Court to “either frame or to give a direction to frame guidelines for the regulation of unregulated, uncensored, uncertified, sexually explicit, vulgar obscene and illicit content broadcasted online by the Respondent platforms or alternatively to direct the Centre and CBFC to frame legal guidelines as well as to develop a distinct regulatory authority in order to regulate the content broadcasted online by the Respondent platforms.”


The PIL also seeks a direction to the Respondents to remove the obscene/illicit content from their online platforms with immediate effect as it is accessed by the public at large including children below the age of 18 years.


The petitioners have further contended that the Respondent online-platforms are in grave violations of several regulations and provisions laid down by the Information Technology (Intermediaries guidelines) Rules, 2011; the Information Technology Act, 2000; the Indian Penal Code,1860; the Constitution of India and the Indecent of Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, etc.


 The matter has now been fixed for further proceedings on December 10.



Tagged: Madhya Pradesh High Court   Indore Bench   Netflix   Amazon Prime   Zee5   Alt Balaji   CBFC   PIL   Notice issued  
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