All cases involving over-the-top (OTT) sites — such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, and others — in various High Courts across India have been put on hold, according to India’s top court.
The creation comes in response to a petition filed by the Justice for Rights Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that asked the government to regulate the activity of these video streaming apps.
Sacred Sports, Tandav, Mirzapur 2, Ak vs Ak, and A Suitable Child, according to the petitioner, have harmed religious, social, and regional sentiments in the general public. The NGO is targeting not only Indian web series but also foreign shows such as Game of Thrones and Spartacus, alleging that they contain obscene and pornographic material.
The existing rules are insufficient.
The OTT platforms’ “self-regulation” code, according to the NGO, has not been successful in preventing the creation of material that is potentially offensive to society.
It went on to say that the Indian government’s latest IT rules for regulating OTT platforms have several vulnerabilities and loopholes. According to the plea, the guidelines do not allow for any effective procedure or proper enforcement of these laws and there are no fines or punishments in place for breaches.
