{
  "id": 1652988,
  "title": "SC notice to Centre over lapses in limiting child sexual abuse content online",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/sc-notice-to-centre-over-lapses-in-limiting-child-sexual-abuse",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T06:33:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/supreme-court-sc-pocso-act-safe-harbour-social-media-child-sexual-exploitation-abuse-content-information-technology-101787033096334.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Supreme Court has warned the Indian government over alleged shortcomings by social media companies in addressing child sexual abuse material (CSEAM) online. A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran issued a notice to the Union government, through the ministries of electronics and information technology and law and justice, to address concerns raised by NGO Just Rights for Children Alliance. The NGO had approached the court in a case concerning the protection of children from online sexual exploitation. The court permitted the NGO to include the two ministries as respondents and set a deadline of September 24 for them to file their counter affidavits. The issue highlights the platforms' obligation to report CSEAM to Indian law enforcement and ensure that details of offenders are uploaded to the National Database of Sexual Offenders. The court emphasized the severity of the situation and the need for a thorough examination of the concerns raised.",
  "summary": "The Supreme Court has asked the ministries to file their counter affidavits by September 24, with copies to be served on the applicants two weeks in advance.",
  "key_points": [
    "Supreme Court warns Indian government over social media shortcomings",
    "NGO Just Rights for Children Alliance files case on child online protection",
    "September 24 deadline set for ministries to respond"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Supreme Court's notice to the Centre signals a heightened scrutiny of the government's handling of online child sexual abuse material and may lead to stricter regulations for social media companies.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "SC issues notice to Centre on PIL for restraining police from revealing identity of accused online",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/sc-issues-notice-to-centre-on-pil-for-restraining-police-from",
        "published": "2026-08-18T05:58:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}