India Blocks 25 OTT Platforms for Streaming Obscene Content Under IT Act

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has ordered the blocking of 25 over‑the‑top (OTT) platforms, including Ullu, ALTT and Desiflix, for streaming obscene and, in some cases, pornographic content, government sources confirmed.

Under the provisions of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021, access to 26 websites and 14 mobile apps will be disabled with immediate effect.

Repeated Warnings Ignored

The directive follows multiple warnings issued since September 2024, consultations with the ministries of Home Affairs and Electronics & IT, and recommendations from industry bodies FICCI and CII.

“There was hardly any storyline, theme or social context. A large portion of the content was obscene and vulgar,” said a government official, citing rampant depictions of nudity and sexual acts, including within family settings.

This is not the first crackdown on these platforms. In mid‑2024 the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights flagged Ullu and ALT for objectionable material and the Digital Publisher Content Grievance Council, a self‑regulatory body chaired by a former Supreme Court judge, ordered the removal of over 100 web series from Ullu after finding the company simply re‑uploaded unedited versions to circumvent takedown notices. In May Ullu complied with the I&B Ministry’s intervention to remove the web series “House Arrest.”

Officials noted that five platforms previously blocked in March 2024 had resurfaced under new domain names, continuing to host explicit content. Despite an advisory in February urging all OTT services to adhere to the prescribed code of ethics and national obscenity laws, these 25 operators persisted in breaching Section 67 (publishing obscene material) and Section 67A (publishing sexually explicit content) of the IT Act, as well as Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

Industry observers view the action as a stark reminder that self‑regulation alone is insufficient to curb objectionable online content. “While Sections 292 and 67 criminalise obscene publications, the power to block access falls under Section 69A of the IT Act,” explained legal expert Vikram Jeet Singh. “The government’s reliance on statutory blocking, rather than intermediary liability under Section 79, signals a more direct enforcement approach.”

The I&B Ministry’s order will be enforced by internet service providers and mobile carriers, effectively cutting off public access to the offending platforms. Authorities have also instructed app stores to delist the banned apps.

As the government ramps up surveillance of digital content, OTT operators are now under intensified pressure to audit their libraries and comply with India’s stringent decency regulations or face further legal measures.