The central government has banned a number of over-the-top (OTT) apps and websites, including ALTBalaji, ULLU, Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, and Gulab App, on the grounds that they contain filthy and pornographic content in an attempt to stop the spread of sexually explicit content online.
Officials say the ban is part of a broader initiative to control digital platforms and clean up India’s content economy.
This action is in line with mounting public pressure to impose content standards across digital platforms and represents a significant change in the government’s position on unfiltered streaming content.
Legal Background: Supreme Court Acknowledged Concerns in April
Legal monitoring of OTT platforms has previously occurred. In April 2025, the Supreme Court responded to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the streaming of sexually explicit content on OTT and social media platforms by sending notices to the Center, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X (previously Twitter), ULLU, and ALTBalaji.
A bench of Justices B. R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih heard the matter and noted that the PIL raised “serious concerns.” However, the Court also maintained that such regulatory matters were best addressed by the executive or legislature.
Political & Public Outcry Against ULLU Series ‘House Arrest’
The momentum for action escalated in May 2025, when a clip from the ULLU web series ‘House Arrest,’ hosted by former Bigg Boss contestant Ajaz Khan, went viral online. The video sparked widespread outrage over its allegedly vulgar and demeaning portrayal of women.
Several leaders condemned the video, including Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi. She wrote on X, “I have raised in the standing committee that apps such as this, namely, Ullu App and Alt Balaji, have managed to escape the ban by the I&B ministry on apps for obscene content. I am still awaiting their reply.”
Her remarks mirrored growing civil society and parliamentary worries about the promotion of unlicensed pornographic content under the pretense of entertainment.
National Commission for Women Steps In
The issue was promptly taken up suo motu by the National Commission for Women (NCW). The Commission condemned the content of ‘House Arrest,’ calling it a gross misrepresentation of women and potentially harmful to young viewers.
The NCW threatened regulatory action in its official communication, even implying that if corrective action wasn’t taken right away, such platforms might be banned entirely.
