New Delhi, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Thursday granted the Centre a “last opportunity” to file its counter affidavit and action-taken report on measures taken to implement its directions on mandatory reporting of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM) by social media intermediaries.
A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran noted that despite its August 14, 2026 order, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Ministry of Law and Justice had not placed their counter affidavit or report on record.
“Unfortunately, till this date, no such counter or report has come on record. The matter before us is extremely serious. We grant one last opportunity to both the ministries to file that counter/report,” the Bench said, according to the proceedings reported on Thursday.
Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, appearing for the Centre, told the court that the government was taking the matter seriously and had already issued notice and initiated proceedings against one company.
The Bench directed the Centre to place on record the steps taken to implement the Supreme Court’s 2024 judgment and curb the circulation of CSEAM. It also directed that the report detail precautions proposed to prevent lapses by social media intermediaries in future.
The court further directed the Centre to serve a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for dealing with CSEAM cases at least four to five days before the next hearing, allowing the petitioner to submit its comments and suggestions. The matter will next be heard on October 15.
The proceedings stem from an application filed by Just Rights for Children Alliance (JRCA), seeking effective implementation of the Supreme Court’s September 23, 2024 judgment in Just Rights for Children Alliance vs. S. Harish.
In that judgment, the Supreme Court held that social media intermediaries must comply with their statutory obligations to report CSEAM to law-enforcement authorities under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Rules. The court also held that compliance with these obligations formed part of the due diligence required for claiming safe-harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.
JRCA’s application has sought a uniform SOP covering detection and mandatory reporting of CSEAM, preservation of electronic evidence and coordination among relevant agencies. It has also sought timely action by law-enforcement agencies on reports received from intermediaries and criminal proceedings against intermediaries that fail to comply with mandatory reporting obligations.
The application was filed against the backdrop of a media report alleging that paid advertisements promoting CSEAM appeared on Instagram, raising concerns about compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions and statutory obligations.
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