'What Happened In Nepal...': Supreme Court Declines To Hear Plea For Porn Ban

The court argued that while children began using digital devices extensively during the Covid-19 pandemic, there was “no mechanism” to restrict access to such content.

The petitioner had urged the court to direct the Centre to frame a national policy to curb access to pornographic material.

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The Supreme Court on Monday said it was not inclined to entertain a plea seeking a nationwide ban on pornography, drawing a comparison to recent unrest in Nepal, where young people protested violently against curbs on online content. “Look what happened in Nepal over a ban,” the bench remarked.

A division bench led by outgoing Chief Justice BR Gavai, who retires on November 23, posted the matter for hearing after four weeks.

The petitioner had urged the court to direct the Centre to frame a national policy to curb access to pornographic material, particularly among minors, and to prohibit its viewing in public spaces. “After digitalisation, everyone, educated or not, has access to everything with a single click,” the plea stated, adding that the government had admitted to the existence of “billions” of pornographic websites.

No Mechanism To Restrict Such Content

It further argued that while children began using digital devices extensively during the Covid-19 pandemic, there was “no mechanism” to restrict access to such content. The petitioner claimed over 20 crore pornographic clips, including child sexual material, are available for sale in India and urged the government to act under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act to block these sites.

The court, however, appeared unconvinced, noting that digital restrictions and parental control mechanisms already exist, and that sweeping curbs could have unintended consequences.