SC seeks DoT’s response on ways to block pornographic websites

After Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising submitted that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which was earlier issued a notice in the matter of blocking pornography websites, is concerned with content on radio and television and not with regulating websites, a notice has been issued by a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice B.S. Chauhan to the Department of Telecommunication (DoT).

The DoT (which is a part of the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology) has been asked to reply within three weeks on how to block websites with pornographic content in the country, particularly those featuring child pornography.

On an earlier instance, the Centre had told Supreme Court that blocking international porn sites in the country was difficult and it should be provided some time so as to consult various ministries for a solution. The apex court which granted time to implement a mechanism to block such sites, questioned the Centre for taking such a long time in dealing with a serious issue. The Court had passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Indore-based advocate Kamlesh Vaswani who pleaded that one of the major causes behind crimes against women, pornographic sites should be banned.

The petition says that people are drawn towards watching porn videos because there are no specific Internet laws and also due to the availability of huge number of porn videos or clippings in the market, which have been directly downloaded from the Internet or copied from video CDs. The petition states that sexual content can be easily accessed by kids which is far more graphic, violent, brutal, deviant and destructive which is threatening for the public order in the country.

Referring to the December 16, 2012 Delhi gang rape case and expressing concern over the increased number of prepubescent children being raped, the petition added that pornography instigates offences against women/girls/children as it fuels the minds of offenders by not just sexual release alone but also from the thrill of domination, control and power.

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