NEW DELHI — As India’s Supreme Court continues to evaluate whether to impose content regulations on streaming services doing business in the populous Asian country, members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are urging the enforcement of long-standing prohibitions against obscenity and blasphemy, alleging that some streaming services “even show pornography.”
Many of the 1.3 billion Indians have quickly adopted less-regulated streaming services over traditional film and television offerings, which have long been subject to state censorship. Amazon and Netflix are the Indian market leaders for streaming services, although other local channels and apps serve different niches, including erotic content.
Supreme Court Justice Ashok Bhushan questioned the openness of streaming services, compared to the traditional Indian mediascape.
“We are of the view there should be some screening of these types [of content],” he asserted last week. “What they are showing? They are showing pornography also.”
Streaming Freedom vs. Bollywood Censorship
Going to cinema halls to watch Bollywood productions was already on the decline even before COVID shuttered those venues.
The enormous Indian viewership — only comparable in size to China, and several times the size of the U.S. or European markets — now favors binging web series and seeks more niche-focused content.
A case in front of an Indian court involves high-profile Amazon Prime series “Tandav” (“Fury”) which has been charged with depicting Hindu gods in a derogatory manner.
Amazon’s head of India content for Prime Video, Aparna Purohit, is seeking for protection against her arrest, according to an Al Jazeera report.
Unlike other traditional channels of diffusion, content on streaming platforms is not currently subject to government vetting.
Last week, Purohit was reportedly questioned for nearly four hours by Uttar Pradesh police.
India's War on Porn
The Supreme Court’s reference to “pornography” and obscenity occurs in a context when the government-aligned media constantly reports on supposed allegations against India’s underground adult industry in a relentless campaign that shows many parallels with the current War on Porn campaigns in the U.S. and Canada.
Last month, police forces in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India, announced the creation of a team to monitor internet searches for “pornographic material.”
Uttar Pradesh police announced that it had “hired a company to ‘keep an eye' on citizens’ internet searches and keep data of the people who search for porn content,” reported local culture news site The Swaddle.
Main Image: India Supreme Court Justice Ashok Bhushan (Source: India Supreme Court)