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NEW DELHI: Supreme Court of India has favoured supporting a screening device for online video streaming services, controlled in the country by Amazon and Netflix and which currently are aired freely.
The US streaming platforms have faced complaints from lawmakers belonging to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP and others that some of the shows promote obscenity on Hindu religious beliefs.
“We are of the view there should be some screening of these types (of content). What they are showing? They are showing pornography also,” Supreme Court Justice Ashok Bhushan said.
Read more: After ‘Tandav’, ‘Mirzapur’ faces backlash over hurting religious sentiments
Traditional film viewing in India has changed as fewer people go to cinema halls and web series have become common, Bhushan said. The remarks came as the Supreme Court heard a plea from Amazon’s head of India content for Prime Video, Aparna Purohit, for protection against arrest in a case involving a controversial political drama ‘Tandav’.
Amazon Prime’s Tandav starring Saif Ali Khan in lead roles has been creating uproar all across the media channels, for its controversial remarks to making fun of Hindu God. Tandav features an array of characters scheming for political power. The political drama also drew the ire of other lawmakers from the BJP, causing fresh controversy for the e-commerce giant which last year had to withdraw dozens of rugs and doormats depicting Hindu gods from its international Amazon.com platform after a backlash in India.
