India Supreme Court Seeks Independent Social Media Regulator

The Supreme Court of India called for the establishment of a neutral, independent, and autonomous regulatory body to oversee user-generated content on social media platforms. During hearings on November 27, 2025, involving the show 'India’s Got Latent' and petitions from the Cure SMA Foundation of India, Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asserted that existing self-regulation mechanisms are ineffective and that digital media cannot operate without accountability.

To protect children from obscene content, the court suggested a pilot program utilizing Aadhaar or PAN cards for stringent age verification. The bench also urged the Central Government to consider a penal law similar to the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to punish those who mock persons with disabilities. The court clarified that while it seeks to fill a regulatory vacuum, it will not approve rules that are used to gag dissent.

In response, the Government of India stated that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is finalizing a framework to curb harmful content. This includes amending the 2021 Information Technology Rules to address AI, deep fakes, and obscenity through a new age-rating system ranging from 'U' to 'A'. The court directed the government to release draft guidelines for public consultation within four weeks.