This afternoon, the honorable Supreme Court of India gladdened the hearts of Indian OTT viewers no end. The highest judicial court in the country debunked a petition to pre-screen and censor OTT content in the country. The Supreme Court also refused to entertain the plea of the petitioner to stop the streaming of Prime Video series Mirzapur, along with its upcoming new Season 3.
Hearing a petition filed by Mirzapur-resident Sujeet Kumar Singh who wanted the courts to set up a pre-screening committee for OTT content, the bench of Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice Bela M Trivedi dismissed the petition on the grounds that it was an impossible task to achieve.
In its reply to the petition, the honorable judiciary said, “How can there be a pre screening committee for web series? There is a particular legislation. Various questions will arise because transmission occurs from other countries. For OTT satellite transmission is from other countries, even though viewers may be here. Post exhibition redressal mechanism is different. Your petition has to be more detailed. File a better one.”
The judges also refused to stay the streaming of ‘Mirzapur’, as demanded by petitioner and Mirzapur resident Sujeet Kumar Singh, who alleged that the Prime Video show tarnished the image of his city by showing it as a city of goons.
The court had earlier asked the Information & Broadcasting ministry at the Centre, Mirzapur streamer Prime Video and producers Excel Entertainment Pvt on their views on the petition. Satisfied with the response they received from the aforementioned entities, the honorable Supreme Court thought it fit to dismiss the petition.
The Supreme Court also directed the petitioner to withdraw his plea.