New Delhi, March 4: The Supreme Court on Thursday expresseddispleasure on streaming of films on web platforms without any prior screeningof the content and also cited some films having pornographic content.
The observation was made by the top court during the hearingof a plea by Amazon Prime Video India head Aparna Purohit against AllahabadHigh Court order, which declined to entertain her anticipatory bail inconnection with the FIRs lodged against her over the web series 'Tandav'.
A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said: "Thereshould be some screening (of content on web platforms). There is pornography insome films."
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the UttarPradesh government, said some programs have filthy abuses.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Purohit,contended this "as a matter of free speech" and cited that his clientis not the producer of the show, instead an employee of the company which isstreaming the web series Tandav.
Justice Bhushan replied that a balance needs to be struck insuch matters and reiterated there should be some screening by somebody.
The top court indicated that there should be a body likecensor board which screens the films.
A counsel in the matter informed the top court that thegovernment has recently notified OTT guidelines. The top court scheduled thematter for further hearing on Friday.
In January, the top court refused to grant interimprotection to Tandav crew from any coercive action and had asked them to movethe concerned courts to seek bail in the matter.
Purohit has been accused of inappropriate depiction of Hindudeities, Uttar Pradesh Police personnel and for adverse portrayal of acharacter in the role of prime minister in the web series.
On February 25, the Allahabad High Court declined to granther anticipatory bail in the matter. The high court had observed, "Westernfilmmakers have refrained from ridiculing Lord Jesus or the Prophet but Hindifilmmakers have done this repeatedly and are still doing this most unabashedlywith Hindu gods and goddesses".
One Balbir Azad lodged an FIR on January 19, 2021, atRabupura police station of Greater Noida.
Azad had alleged that the web series had deliberatelydenigrated Hindu gods and goddesses and depicted Uttar Pradesh and its policein a poor light.
Several other FIRs have also been lodged in states likeUttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar and Delhi againstthe web series. 'Tandav', a nine-episode political thriller starring BollywoodA-listers Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, startedstreaming recently on Amazon.
The top court on Friday saying will see the new OTTguidelines issued by the Centre.