NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to come out with regulatory mechanism for telecast or airing of programmes as it allowed YouTuber, Ranveer Allahabadia to resume his show but cautioned him that the show must be within standards of "decency and morality".
SC Directs Centre to Regulate Online Content Amid Decency Concerns
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh asked the Centre to propose measures to regulate content for YouTube channels and social media and made it clear that such measures would subsequently invite comments and suggestions from the people and stakeholders.
The court told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to come out with a draft regulatory measure in terms with the known standards of morality which can be brought in public domain to invite suggestions from all the stakeholders before taking any legislative or judicial measure in this regard.
Ranveer Allahabadia Can Resume Show, But Must Follow Content Standards
The court said it was inclined to expand the scope of instant proceedings.
Dealing the hearing, the bench allowed the petitioner to resume his shows but asked him to ensure that all age groups can watch his show. The court noted that the livelihoods of nearly 200 employees are involved.
Also Read: SC slams Ranveer Allahabadia for 'dirty', 'perverted' remarks; protects from arrest in multiple FIRs
The bench said fundamental rights also come with duties, and the country gives guarantees to enjoy fundamental rights, but there are also some duties.
The court, however, refused for now, his another plea to travel abroad, saying that the permission can only be granted after he joined the probe in the case.
The bench emphasised at the need for some regulation of online content and that somebody who has commercial ventures cannot be allowed to say anything that is not something it approves of.
Mehta suggested that by not impinging on somebody’s freedom of expression, some methodology can be laid down.
“I am all for it. Freedom of expression is precious, and it will have to be protected but vulgarity and perversity cannot be allowed in our next generation,” he said.
The bench said, “What we tentatively propose to do is to impress upon the Union to draft something that can be regulatory (measures) balancing both…We would like all stakeholders to be invited. It should be brought into the public domain. Let us have a healthy debate on it. Let us also try to identify what kind of intake a society is ready for; you cannot feed something to the society for which it is not prepared. We are talking about our society.”
Also Read: Youtuber Ranveer Allahabadia moves SC for clubbing FIRs; protection from coercive action
On February 18, the court provided him relief, saying no coercive action against him for his alleged obscene remarks he made on a YouTube show 'India's Got Latent', while rebuking him for his indecent remarks.
The court had his words exhibited "dirty mind" and "perverted" mentality in a show and wondering "if this is not obscenity in this country, then what it is".
He had made those alleged obscene remarks -- on controversial comments on parents and sex on social media -- in his YouTube show 'India's Got Latent'.
The court had then issued notice on his plea and stayed his arrest in the FIRs filed in Maharashtra and Assam, subject to hin joining the investigation. The court also clarified, he would not be accompanied by counsel inside police station.
