Question : Amendment in Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act- 1986

(a) whether obscenity is being displayed openly in the country and Doordarshan Kendras and private channels are also involved in such display of obscene content and if so, the reaction of the Government thereto;
(b) whether appropriate steps are likely to be taken by the Government including issuing suitable directions to the Sensor Board to check the spreading of obscenity by showing bedroom scenes in the name of the entertainment in films, T.V. serials and social media and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government is contemplating on amending the Indian Penal Code, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986 and other related Acts;
(d) if so, the details thereof and the time by which the amendments are likely to be made and if not, the reasons therefor; and
(e) other measures being taken by the Government to check such tendency keeping in view social propriety?

THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF HEAVY INDUSTRIES AND PUBLIC ENTERPRISES (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) & (b): All TV channels including Doordarshan are required to conform to the Programme Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 which, inter-alia, provides that no programme should be carried in the cable service which contains anything obscene and which denigrates women through the depiction in any manner of the figure of a woman, her form or body or any part thereof in such a way as to have the effect of being indecent or derogatory to women, or is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or morals. The Government has, from time-to-time, issued advisories and warnings to private TV channels who are found to have violated the said Programme Code.
Further, adequate provisions exist in Cinematograph Act, 1952 and Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983 and the guidelines issued thereunder to check obscenity in films. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules, 2011 notified under the Information Technology Act, 2000, inter-alia, requires intermediaries to observe due diligence while discharging their duties and shall inform the users not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that is, inter alia, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, paedophilic and unlawful in any way.
(c) to (e): Ministry of Home Affairs has informed that there are adequate provisions under the Indian Penal Code to deal with the cases of indecent activities, including obscenity. The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986 provides for prohibition of indecent representation of women through advertisements and publications, etc. and enables the Government to take punitive action against the defaulters.
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