New Delhi: Over the past three years, 73 complaints have been filed regarding obscene and vulgar advertisements on private television channels, the government has revealed.

In a written response to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said these complaints were addressed through a three-tier grievance redress system.

The system, established under the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, involves self-regulation by broadcasters, self-regulation by bodies of the broadcasters, and oversight by the central government.

Murugan explained that when an advertisement violates the Advertising Code, action is taken, such as issuing advisories, warnings, apology scrolls, or off-air orders.

In response to another question, Murugan said that OTT platforms must follow the Code of Ethics under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. This code requires publishers to avoid illegal content and to classify content based on age, ensuring it is appropriate for viewers.

He also added that OTT platforms must take steps to restrict age-inappropriate content from children.