Exclusive: DoT's 90-page dossier behind ban on 25 'obscene content' apps

New Delhi: In a document compiled by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), more than two dozen OTT platforms, including some notable names like ALTT, owned by Balaji Telefilms and Ullu, have come under scrutiny for publishing sexually explicit content and completely devoid of artistic value.

The report has become base to the Indian government banning these platforms for showing obscene content. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has directed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across India to block access to a total of 25 OTT platforms for allegedly hosting unlawful content. 

All have been found, the Ministry noted, to be in breach of multiple laws, including:

• Section 67 and 67A of the IT Act, 2000 (obscenity in electronic form)
  

• Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (obscene acts and songs)
  

• Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986

The 90-page report titled “OTT Platform Showing Obscenity, with Evidence,” outlines in detail how these platforms promoted content centered around nudity and erotica with minimal or no storylines. 

According to the appendix, web series on platforms such as ALTT and Ullu consistently contain scenes that “appeal to base and morbid interests” and “lack redeeming value.”

The report cites specific episodes across various web series, highlighting minute-by-minute timelines of sexual scenes. For instance, in ALTT’s “Qatil Haseena” (Season 1, Episode 1), over five minutes of the 22-minute runtime is dedicated to sexual content, with remarks noting that the episode appears to be created solely to “titillate the lascivious and prurient interest of the audience.”

Similarly, Ullu’s “Badan” (Episode 11) contains nearly 19 minutes of sexual scenes in a 21-minute episode, with characters depicted in coerced and extortive sexual situations. The document argues that the content not only lacks narrative substance but also borders on promoting obscenity with no educational or cultural purpose.

The document goes beyond ALTT and Ullu to name 23 other lesser-known OTT apps including Bigshots, Desiflix, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, and NeonX VIP, among others. 

The report repeatedly emphasises that these shows contain "hardly any storyline" and are predominantly focused on sexual scenes, with terms like “pretentious ‘story’” and “gratuitous sex” used throughout to describe the programming.

The notification issued by the ministry asserts that the platform violates the Code of Ethics laid out for digital publishers under Part III of the IT Rules, 2021. The order was signed by C. Senthil Rajan, Joint Secretary and Authorised Officer of the MIB, who was designated as the nodal officer to notify intermediaries of such violations as per a prior office order issued in December 2023.