Mumbai, July 3, 2026: The Maharashtra government on Friday announced that it will constitute an expert committee to recommend stricter punitive provisions to curb advertisements, hoardings, websites and social media content that promote obscenity or incite sexual offences.
The move is aimed at strengthening the existing legal framework while ensuring that freedom of expression is balanced with the need to protect the dignity of women and public morality.
The announcement was made by Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar while replying to a discussion in the Legislative Assembly on a private member's Bill moved by BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar seeking a ban on advertisements and digital content that encourage sexual offences.
Government Announces Zero Tolerance
Shelar said the state government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards advertisements that portray women in an indecent manner, promote obscenity or encourage sexual crimes.
He asserted that strict legal action would be taken against individuals or organisations disseminating obscene language, images, gestures or other objectionable content through public platforms.
The minister said existing laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, the Information Technology Act and the Cable Television Networks Rules, already provide for imprisonment and financial penalties against offenders.
However, he noted that the punishments prescribed under the 1986 Act and the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, are no longer adequate in view of changing social and technological realities.
Expert Panel To Review Laws
To address these gaps, the state government will work with the Centre to review and strengthen the penal provisions under the relevant central laws, including enhancing penalties for violations.
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Shelar said the proposed expert committee will examine the issue comprehensively and recommend a balanced policy that effectively curbs objectionable content while safeguarding constitutional guarantees of free speech. The panel is expected to suggest measures to regulate obscene and derogatory advertisements across traditional and digital media.
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