• 3 tier grievance redressal

Concerns
mechanism establishes
• Impact on Indian cinema/television: India cinema/television provides
enables self-regulation employment and entertainment to audiences locally and globally. Rules may
with minimal likely have a substantial impact on citizens’ digital rights, resulting in economic
government harm, and may also negatively impact India’s growing cultural influence.
intervention. • Unfair competition for small digital media houses: The definition of “publisher
• Improved access to of news and current affairs content” privileges the established media houses,
online curated content to who may have a print newspaper as a significant component of their operations
persons with disabilities. and could thus claim to be exempted from these guidelines.
o Smaller and independent media houses which rely on the internet to
Conclusion disseminate news and information will face enhanced compliance cost and
censorship.
These Rules and the efforts by
• Regulation of foreign news media: If a digital news media organisation makes its
the Indian government are
content available in India in a systematic and continued manner, the provisions
certainly laudable and ensure of the Intermediaries Rules will apply to them. However, it is unclear how foreign
that technological news media organisations are sought to be regulated by Indian authorities.
advancements go hand in • Forcing self-censorship: Certain criteria provided in the Code of Ethics are vague,
hand with legal developments overbroad and can have a chilling effect on the free speech of publishers. Also,
thereby creating a level certain rules can give formal validity to the illegitimate concerns which have been
playing field for all service raised by certain groups against artistic content.
providers and also protecting • Excessive governmental control over digital news and OTT content: The
citizens of the country. Chairman of the self-regulatory body is suggested to be a retired Judge of the
High Court or Supreme Court, and even though the body is expected to be
For more information also appointed/elected by the media community, the I&B Ministry retains approval
refer to the article power over the composition of the body.
“Regulating Over-The-Top • Lack of punitive measures for violators: The rules are more in the nature of
(OTT) Platforms” in guidelines and there is no effective mechanism for screening or provision for
November 2020 VISIONIAS punishment /fine to take appropriate action against violators.
Current Affairs Magazine.

1.2. SEDITION LAW IN INDIA

Why in news?
Supreme Court rejected a plea urging it to re-examine the constitutional validity of Section 124A of IPC, which
deals with sedition.
Background
• The law was originally drafted in 1837 by Thomas Macaulay, the British historian-politician, but was
inexplicably omitted when the IPC was enacted in 1860.
• Section 124A was inserted in 1870 by an amendment introduced by Sir James Stephen when it felt the need
for a specific section to deal with the offence. It was one of the many draconian laws enacted to stifle any
voices of dissent at that time.
• The first case was registered in 1891, when Jogendra Chandra Bose, editor of a newspaper ‘Bangobasi’ was
booked for publishing an article criticising “Age of Consent Bill”.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Annie Besant, the Ali Brothers, Maulana Azad, Gandhi and very many others suffered
imprisonment under this law.
About Sedition
• Indian Penal Code defines sedition (Section 124A) as an offence committed when any person brings or
attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the
government established by law in India by:
o words, either spoken or written
o signs
o visible representation, or otherwise
• ‘Disaffection’ includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity. However, comments without exciting or
attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection do not constitute an offence under this section.

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