Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Central Government has disabled 50 OTT platforms for public access in India over the past two years, citing repeated violations involving obscene content and breaches of provisions under the Information Technology Act and allied laws. The disclosure was made in a written reply to a question raised in the Lok Sabha, shedding light on the government’s ongoing regulatory crackdown on online curated content platforms.
The government has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which came into effect on February 25, 2021 under the IT Act, 2000, establishing a formal institutional mechanism to regulate publishers of current affairs on digital media as well as publishers of online curated content, commonly referred to as OTT platforms. Part III of these rules lays down a comprehensive Code of Ethics governing digital news publishers and OTT content providers, with complaints against such entities addressed strictly under the provisions of the IT Rules, 2021.
Under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000, the government is empowered to issue notifications to intermediaries directing them to remove or disable access to unlawful content hosted on their platforms. Acting on this legal framework, the government has said it regularly takes action against intermediaries and OTT platforms found in violation of the law, based on complaints received through its grievance mechanisms.
According to the reply, the 50 OTT platforms were disabled specifically for displaying obscene content and for violating Section 67 and Section 67A of the IT Act, Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986. The consistent invocation of these specific legal provisions points to a sustained government focus on curbing sexually explicit and obscene digital content circulating through unregulated or loosely regulated OTT platforms.
The information was formally placed on record by the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr L Murugan, in his written reply to a question raised by Member of Parliament Rajabhau Parag Prakash Waje during proceedings in the Lok Sabha on July 22. The disclosure reflects the government’s continuing scrutiny of the OTT ecosystem, which has expanded rapidly in India over the past several years, prompting repeated calls for stronger content regulation frameworks to balance creative freedom with public decency standards under existing digital media laws.
