Supreme Court Refuses to Entertain PIL on OTT Content Regulation, Cites Policy Domain

The Supreme Court declined to entertain a PIL seeking regulation of OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Altt Balaji etc, over alleged “obscene” content, terming it a policy matter for the government.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and AG Masih remarked, “We’re already criticised for interfering with Executive and Legislative functions,” and asked petitioner Vishnu Shankar Jain to serve notice to the Union.

Similar petitions filed in 2024 were also dismissed, with the Court affirming that the regulation of OTT platforms pertains to the policy domain and is beyond the scope of judicial intervention. (Uday Mahurkar and Ors. v UOI & Ors.)