Censorship

A committee set up by the Centre to examine the content of the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer film 'Satluj' is learnt to have recommended that the ban on its public access through online streaming platforms should remain as the film allegedly goes against India's sovereignty and integrity, government sources said on Saturday. The Honey Trehan-directed film depicts the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab between 1984 and 1994, and was abducted and murdered by the state police in 1995. It was pulled from the OTT platform ZEE5 for viewers in India two days after its release on July 3 after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cited security concerns. Subsequently, the ministry set up an inter-department committee (IDC) under the IT Rules 2021 for a detailed examination of the film and recommend the future course of action. The issue turned political in Punjab, with the Shiromani Gurdwara ...

Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh's long-delayed film "Punjab '95", which released in India on streaming service ZEE5 under a new title "Satluj", has become unavailable on the platform just two days later. The film, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was stuck in censorship for over three years. The Honey Trehan-directed movie was released without any cuts on Friday, but on Sunday evening the platform shared a statement to inform viewers that it's no longer available in India. "In light of the current developments, 'Satluj' will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity," the streamer said in a statement. The OTT platform said the response to 'Satluj' since its release has been truly overwhelming. "We are deeply grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support

The censor board has certified Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar: The Revenge. As per a Variety India report, the CBFC has given the much-awaited sequel an A certification and cut severe violent scenes

Misinformation rises sharply despite laws and fact checks

Over the years, Harper Lee's book has encountered pushback and bans, but in her centennial year, its lesson is as clear as it was when she wrote it: Silencing a mockingbird is difficult

Veteran screenwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar has expressed his disappointment that movies reflecting the reality of society face hurdles from regulatory bodies in India, while those rife with vulgarity seem to slip through the cracks. Speaking at an event on Friday, Akhtar said it is a bad audience that makes a bad film successful. "In this country, the fact is that vulgarity will still be passed by (the film regulatory bodies), they do not know that these are wrong values, a male chauvinistic view that is humiliating women and is insensitive. What will not be passed is something that shows the mirror to society," he said at the inaugural session of Anantrang mental health cultural festival. Akhtar said films merely try to depict reality. "A film is a window into society through which you peek, then close the window, but closing the window will not fix what is happening, he cited. Talking about the impact of hyper-masculinity portrayed in films on mental health, Akhtar said that the

The Karnataka HC dismissed X's plea against the Sahyog portal, calling it a public-good mechanism, noting that social media cannot be left in unregulated

A leak of more than 100,000 files shows Chinese firm Geedge Networks exporting Tiangou Secure Gateway-national-scale filtering and tracking tech-now active in Pakistan and Myanmar

The remarks were made during a hearing on the U.S. firm's challenge to a government-run website it says is a "censorship portal" that allows officials to issue content removal orders

With nearly 1 billion internet users, the stakes are high in a sprawling country of many ethnic and religious communities where fake news risks stirring deadly strife

Film personalities belonging to various movie organisations will stage a dharna before the office of the Central Board of Film Certfication (CBFC) on Monday to protest the Board's decision to decline certification to the film Janaki Vs State of Kerala' (JSK). The CBFC revising committee had verbally directed the makers of the Suresh Gopi-starrer film, JSK, to change the name of the titular character, as Janaki is another name of Goddess Sita. Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) general secretary B Unnikrishnan told reporters here on Friday that people belonging to the entire film industry will take part in the protest before the CBFC office in Thiruvananthapuram. Terming the CBFC's decision as arbitrary,' he wondered why the name change was being suggested after the film was cleared by the regional panel of the censor board. The film was given U/A certification and was sent to the CBFC office in Mumbai, from where the change was suggested. We fail to understand the criterio

X has blocked over 8,000 accounts in India following government orders, citing censorship concerns and lack of transparency, while urging affected users to seek legal help and challenging restrictions

While denying interim relief to X, Justice M Nagaprasanna noted that liberty had already been given to X to approach the court if it faced coercive action, on March 17

As 'L2: Empuraan' undergoes re-censorship with 17 cuts over 2002 Gujarat riot scenes, director Prithviraj Sukumaran's mother defends him, calling him a 'scapegoat' amid backlash

The Centre has strongly objected to social media platform X's characterisation of the 'Sahyog' portal as a censorship tool, calling the claim both unfortunate and condemnable. In a detailed response submitted before the Karnataka High Court, the Centre countered the claims made by X Corp in its petition challenging India's information-blocking framework. The government asserted that the petitioner had misinterpreted the provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act, particularly Sections 69A and 79(3)(b). X Corp has argued that Section 79(3)(b) does not authorise the government to issue content-blocking orders in a manner that bypasses the safeguards outlined in Section 69A, its corresponding blocking rules, and the Supreme Court's ruling in the Shreya Singhal case. However, the government contended that Section 69A explicitly allows the Centre to issue blocking orders under specific conditions and provides multiple safeguards for online content restriction. It stated that thi

Elon Musk-owned X filed a lawsuit seeking to quash the government's Sahyog portal, which notifies tech companies about harmful online content

The Supreme Court's judgment in the Shreya Singhal case laid down key safeguards against government censorship and clarified the liability of online platforms

SC allows Ranveer Allahbadia to resume The Ranveer Show after an undertaking to maintain moral standards, citing the livelihood of 280 employees dependent on it

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry is examining the existing statutory provisions and the need for a new legal framework to regulate "harmful" content amid complaints of "obscenity and violence" being shown on digital platforms. In its reply to a parliamentary panel, the ministry said there is a growing concern in the society that the constitutional right of "freedom of expression is being misused to showcase obscene and violent content on digital platforms". It told the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey that while certain provisions exist under the current laws, there is a growing demand for a stricter and effective legal framework to regulate such harmful content. It said, "This ministry has taken note of these developments and is in process of examining current statutory provisions and need for a new legal framework." The ministry said that many high courts and the Supreme Court, MPs and statutory bodies like

On the Joe Rogan Podcast, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke on stricter content controls and the growing regulatory pressures on technology firms worldwide