Law Matters | IN Content Law

I wrote about the legal and ethical issues involved in reporting sexual violence over at scroll.in . Extracts: ...the tale isn’t necessarily a story about the malicious against the well-intentioned. The law may well be breached not just by those who are ignorant of it or who maliciously choose not to respect it but also by those who believe that it is structurally toxic. ...even where there is law, there is uncertainty. And, where law is scant, the uncertainty only rises. The most glaring example of this is probably demonstrated by the intrusive and explicit reportage of sexual violence that is sometimes ostensibly used to raise awareness about violence. Although the publication of obscene content is legally prohibited and privacy is a constitutional right, reportage could easily be gratuitously intrusive without reaching the level of incontrovertible illegality. ...clear-cut answers to questions about how to report sexual violence are often hard to come by. The law could be c...

For years now, there's been talk of how "online content must be regulated" as if content online isn't already regulated; it is. By over thirty statutes and reams of subordinate legislation. The most recent formal attempt to regulate content online has probably been manifested through a decision of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to constitute a committee to suggest a regulatory framework for online media and news portals. The minister in charge has since been divested of the portfolio, and what progress, if any, was made isn't clear. In fact, it isn't even entirely clear that the MIB had the jurisdiction to step on to such a path without the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology clearly being on board. Whatever does or doesn't come of this attempt to regulate online content, what's all but certain is that it isn't the last we'll hear of the subject. After all, the regulation of free speech with its potential to (re)...

The street artist Jaleel whose work adorned Kochi for several years died on May 16, 2018. By all accounts, he was unostentatious and understated as an individual. His work focused on current affairs, social issues, and landscape. Some of it was  literally wiped out  when Bastion Bungalow, his  canvas , was renovated. Jaleel appeared to be resistant to being incorporated under a banner. During the Kochi Biennale, he is reported to have written, “This is not part of the Biennale,” under his works. Despite this, he was cognisant of issues relating to the valuation of art and artists. A  2012 piece  reported that he also painted on canvas in the hope of selling his work, and that he had lamented saying: "The main difficulty painters in South India face is the unwillingness of people to buy paintings by street artists. But in places like Goa, Calcutta and Delhi, street painters are given equal importance." From afar, it would appear that many facets of his work rai...