'Someone Has To Be Accountable': Supreme Court Calls For Independent Regulator For Social Media Content

The Supreme Court on Thursday noted the importance of having an autonomous regulator for the user generated content that gets uploaded on social media, underlining that "someone has to be accountable".

The apex court's observation came as a two-judge bench comprising of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi continued hearing matters related to the controversial 'India's Got Latent' show.

On the basis of the controversial episode, comedians Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia aka Beer Biceps found themselves named in multiple FIRs.

SC signalled that a stronger oversight is required for content generated and uploaded by users on social media platforms, and suggested the creation of a “neutral, independent and autonomous” regulator to keep a check on what circulates on social media.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the issue goes way beyond problematic humour. While putting forth his argument to the bench, Mehta underlined that a gap in the regulatory framework surrounding user-generated content has been exposed.

Clarifying his stance on Freedom of Speech, he further stated, "Freedom of speech is an invaluable right, but it cannot lead to perversity."

Remarking on the gap in the regulatory framework, CJI Kant said that, "So I create my own channel, I am not accountable to anyone...somebody has to be accountable", Bar And Bench reported.

Building on Kant's remark, Bagchi added that once such perverse content is uploaded, it goes viral before authorities get time to react to them. He questioned the existence of this vacuum when millions consume this content instantly.

During the hearing, Samay Raina’s case also popped up when Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, representing Cure SMA Foundation, an organisation supporting persons with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) said her community had been “ridiculed and humiliated” on a widely viewed platform.

She added that Raina's Rs 2.5 lakh donation does not suffice and was not what they sought. "We are here for our dignity," Singh stated.

As a result, the court directed Samay Raina and three other comedians to invite specially-abled persons with success stories to their shows in order to raise funds for their treatment.