Copyright news18
The Supreme Court on Monday cited Gen Z protests in Nepal while hearing a plea seeking a ban on pornography. A division bench led by outgoing Chief Justice BR Gavai said it was not inclined to entertain the plea but added that the matter would be heard after four weeks. “Look what happened in Nepal over a ban,” the bench remarked during the hearing. The petitioner argued that the central government should frame a policy to curb access to pornography, citing its easy availability on the internet. The plea stated that watching pornography adversely affects individuals and society, especially growing minds between the ages of 13 and 18. It also highlighted the lack of an effective mechanism to prevent people from accessing pornographic content. What Happened In Nepal? A ban on social media in Nepal in the first week of September sparked massive anti-government protests that ousted the government of then Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. Thousands of youths under the banner of the Gen Z group staged anti-government protests in Kathmandu on September 8 and 9, during which 76 people were killed.Although the social media ban was not the sole reason for the protests, other underlying issues, such as corruption, fuelled the unrest. Is Watching Porn Illegal In India? No, watching porn is not criminalised in India. However, producing or distributing pornographic content, especially for commercial purposes, is a punishable offence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act). The Indian government has banned nearly a thousand porn websites, including Pornhub. Earlier this year, the Centre blocked at least 25 Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms for publishing obscene and vulgar content. The banned digital platforms — including Big Shots, Desiflix, NeonX VIP, Gulab App, Kangan App, Hulchul App, MoodX, Ullu, and ALTT — were found hosting material with sexual innuendos and explicit scenes involving nudity, deemed pornographic in nature, according to officials.
