Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur warned over-the-top (OTT) platforms on Sunday that vulgarity and abusive language were not acceptable in the name of creativity.
Following complaints about the issue, the minister stated that the government will not hesitate to take tough action to stop the trend of vulgarity and abusive language in OTT content.
“These platforms were given freedom for creativity, not obscenity, and when one crosses the line, hurling abuse in the name of creativity cannot be tolerated,” Thakur said.
He also stated that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will not hesitate to change the rules if necessary. The first level of the mechanism requires producers to address complaints about content. The complaints are then routed to their respective associations at the second level. Finally, when a complaint reaches the government, the ministry takes strict action in accordance with the rules.
The following is the three-tiered grievance redressal mechanism: Level I: Self-regulation by broadcasters; Level II: Self-regulation by broadcasters’ self-regulating bodies; and Level III: Central government oversight mechanism.
This statement comes just a few days after the Delhi High Court reportedly stated that there is a need to regulate vulgar language content on OTT platforms.
The HC stated that the language used in the webseries ‘College Romance,’ which is available on SonyLiv, YouTube, and TVFPlay, is ‘obscene and vulgar’ while hearing a case filed about it.
The court ordered the Ministry of Information and Technology (MIB) to take steps to ensure stricter implementation of the IT Rules, as well as to draught laws to address such issues.
