SC seeks Centre reply on plea for mechanism against CSAM

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre’s response on a petition seeking establishment of a dedicated and exclusive pan-India mechanism for addressing the online circulation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and a dedicated probe agency to deal with such complaints.HT ImageA bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said: “These issues are so serious that the judicial forum is not equipped to deal with them.” However, the court agreed to know the stand of the Centre in this regard and issued notice to the Union government and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).The order was passed on a petition filed by NGO Prajwala, which has in the past championed this cause by filing petitions in the top court seeking effective steps to stop circulation of child pornographic content.Senior advocate Aparna Bhat appearing for Prajwala told the court that in the previous litigation, the government had evolved a mechanism along with other stakeholders for detection and action against individuals disseminating such online content.The present petition sought a host of orders which included a dedicated mechanism against circulation of CSAM and Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (NCII), which is distinct from financial cyber fraud. Such a mechanism, it said, would ensure comprehensive coverage of reporting, registration of FIRs, investigation, prosecution and victim support.Besides, the petition sought establishment of a dedicated investigative agency such as CBI having jurisdiction over offences relating to CSAM and NCII and is a specialised force empowered to coordinate with the state police and international bodies.To prevent circulation of such content, the plea demanded formulation of regulations to map active screening, detection and prevention mechanisms using Al-based tools. Under the proposed mechanism, the petition also sought mandatory training and sensitisation of investigating agencies, prosecutors and judicial officers to deal with such victims.