{"id":112553,"date":"2026-07-11T11:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T05:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=112553"},"modified":"2026-07-11T11:24:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T05:54:08","slug":"ott-content-regulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/ott-content-regulation\/","title":{"rendered":"OTT Content Regulation: Understanding India&#8217;s Parallel Regimes for Films and Streaming Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>OTT Content Regulation Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The film Satluj, based on the life of rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, premiered on ZEE5, after being stuck for nearly three years over certification issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just two days later, it was taken off the platform in India, though it remains available internationally. Government sources cited &#8220;security concerns,&#8221; and an Inter-Departmental Committee under the IT Rules, 2021 has been set up to examine the matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The episode has spotlighted India&#8217;s two separate regulatory regimes: the Cinematograph Act for theatres and the IT Rules for streaming platforms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Background: Why Was Satluj Banned<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The film chronicles the life and death of Jaswant Singh Khalra, an Amritsar-based activist who investigated the alleged illegal cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies by police during Punjab&#8217;s militancy years.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was abducted and killed in 1995, a case in which several police officials were convicted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Originally titled Ghallughara, the film was renamed Punjab &#8217;95 after CBFC scrutiny, when the board demanded 127 cuts for theatrical release.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The makers refused, so the film never reached cinemas. It later arrived on OTT, without cuts, under the new title Satluj.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The makers had also challenged the CBFC&#8217;s objections in the Bombay High Court in 2023 but later withdrew the petition.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How CBFC Certification Works<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Theatrical releases are governed by the <\/span><b>Cinematograph Act, 1952<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under <\/span><b>Section 4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, anyone wishing to publicly exhibit a film must obtain certification from the CBFC, a <\/span><b>statutory body<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Screening uncertified films in cinemas is a criminal offence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CBFC certifies films as U (unrestricted), UA (unrestricted with parental guidance), A (adults only), and S (restricted to specialised audiences).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/the-cinematograph-amendment-bill-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> split the UA category into age-based sub-categories and made certificates perpetually valid, removing the earlier 10-year limit.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Act allows the CBFC to <\/span><b>refuse certification or demand cuts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if a film threatens India&#8217;s sovereignty and integrity, state security, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency, morality, or involves defamation or contempt of court.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These mirror the &#8220;<\/span><b>reasonable restrictions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8221; under Article 19(2) of the Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Until 2021, filmmakers could appeal CBFC decisions before a dedicated tribunal (FCAT).\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tribunal rationalisation reforms abolished FCAT and shifted its functions to High Courts, making appeals slower and costlier for time-sensitive releases, and removing specialised judicial expertise in cinema matters.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How Streaming Platforms Are Regulated<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OTT platforms historically operated with minimal oversight since the <\/span><b>Cinematograph Act covers only public exhibition, not private viewing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2019, the Karnataka High Court dismissed a plea to bring OTT content under the Cinematograph Act, distinguishing public exhibition from private streaming.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OTT content is instead regulated under <\/span><b>Part III<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the <\/span><b><i>IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These rules prescribe a <\/span><b>code of ethics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and a <\/span><b>three-tier grievance redressal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> structure: self-regulation by publishers, self-regulatory bodies, and government oversight via the Information &amp; Broadcasting Ministry.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This framework is currently under challenge, with the Bombay and Madras High Courts staying the provision.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2023 Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, which sought to classify OTT platforms as broadcasting services, was later withdrawn.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Satluj&#8217;s case, the government invoked its takedown power under Section 69A of the IT Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Understanding Section 69A<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Section 69A empowers the government to block content, exercised through the <\/span><b><i>IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government must record reasons for blocking in writing, and a designated Review Committee examines whether such orders comply with Section 69A.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this case, the I&amp;B Ministry constituted a high-level Inter-Departmental Committee under Rule 14 of the IT Rules to examine the film&#8217;s content.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The committee can recommend a warning, an apology or disclaimer, reclassification or modification of content, or complete deletion and blocking under Section 69A.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Satluj episode reveals a regulatory gap: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">filmmakers can bypass strict CBFC theatrical scrutiny via OTT, but face parallel, less-defined IT Rules oversight instead<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This highlights the need for a coherent, rights-respecting framework governing content across both platforms, balancing free expression with genuine security concerns.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-law\/satluj-film-controversy-zee5-removal-cbfc-ott-rules-10780005\/#:~:text=The%20takedown%20of%20a%20film,Rules%2C%202021%20for%20streaming%20platforms.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/explained-the-legal-questions-behind-row-over-satluj-movie\/article71197781.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OTT Content Regulation highlights the different legal frameworks governing films and streaming platforms, raising questions about censorship, free speech and digital governance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":112566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[8624,22,59],"class_list":["post-112553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-ott-content-regulation","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs-tag","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112553"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112575,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112553\/revisions\/112575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}