The Supreme Court yesterday (5th March) asked the government to consider framing more stringent legislation or regulation with penal provisions to prevent misuse of social media and OTT platforms. It said that the rules recently framed by the Centre in this regard are not effective and have no teeth.
A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and R. Subhash Reddy, hearing the anticipatory bail plea of Amazon Prime India head Aparna Purohit in the Tandav case, said that stricter laws needed to be passed. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta informed the apex court that a law to regulate social media and OTT content would be drafted. He assured the court that the draft of the law to be passed by the government would be placed before the bench for approval.
The court thereafter allowed the plea of Aparna Purohit for anticipatory bail with a condition that she would co-operate with the police in the probe in the case lodged against her and the makers of Tandav for hurting religious sentiments.