Lok Sabha Question No. 4589 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-20
Subject: Role of BCCC in adressing Content Complaints
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri G Kumar Naik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4589

## (TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.08.2025)

## ROLE OF BCCC IN ADRESSING CONTENT COMPLAINTS

## 4589. SHRI G KUMAR NAIK:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is considering or has implemented measures to regulate content on Over The  Top  (OTT)  platforms  in  the  country  particularly  in  light  of  growing  concerns  over  access  to explicit, offensive or harmful material by under-age viewers;

(b) the details of guidelines or standards being established to prevent the unrestricted availability of unregulated content that may  be  harmful to minors or promote violence, hate speech or misinformation;

(c) the manner in which the Government plans to balance freedom of expression with the need for content  regulation  especially  given  the  easy  access  to  such  material  without  age  verification  or content warnings; and

(d)  the  details  of  collaborations  with  OTT  platforms  to  ensure  self-regulation  and  the  role  of regulatory bodies like the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) in addressing content complaints particularly concerning under-age exposure?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (d): Government has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media, Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 on 25.02.2021 under IT Act, 2000.

Part-III of the rules provides for a Code of Ethics for digital news publishers and publishers of online curated content (OTT platforms). As per the Code of Ethics, OTT platforms are under obligation to not transmit any content which is prohibited by law for the time being in force.

The platforms  are  required  to  undertake  age-based  classification  of  content  and  restrict  age-inappropriate content for children using adequate access control measures.

The rules further provide a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism as follows:

-  Level I: Self-regulation by the publishers
-  Level II: Self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the publishers
-  Level III - Oversight mechanism by the Central Government

Complaints relating to the violation of the Code of Ethics are addressed under the provisions of the three-tier grievance  redressal  mechanism  and  complaints  received  by  the  Ministry  are  forwarded  to  the  concerned OTT platforms for resolution as per IT Rules, 2021.

Section  79(3)(b)  of  IT  Act,  2000  provides  for  notification  to  the  intermediaries  for  removing/disabling access to unlawful content. The Government has disabled 18 OTT platform in March, 2024 and 25 OTT platforms in July, 2025 for public access in India for displaying obscene content.

A Fact Check Unit (FCU) has been set up under Press  Information Bureau, Ministry of  Information and Broadcasting in November, 2019 to check fake news relating to the Central Government. After verifying the authenticity of news from authorized sources in Ministries/ Departments of Government of India, FCU posts correct information on its social media platforms.

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