Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Humour and perversity: On regulatory measures to prevent vulgarity

Humour and perversity: On regulatory measures to prevent vulgarity

With enough laws to deal with obscenity, new regulations may be superfluous

In suggesting that the Government should come with regulatory (विनियामक) measures (उपाय, मापदंड) to prevent vulgarity or perversity in the name of (के नाम पर, की आड़ में) humour (हास्य, मज़ाक) being aired, the Supreme Court has expanded the scope of petitions (याचिका, आवेदन) by YouTubers caught in a criminal case over alleged (कथित, आरोपित) obscenity (अश्लीलता, अनैतिकता) in a digital programme. The Court has sounded the right note by calling for a discussion among stakeholders (हितधारक, साझेदार) on regulations that would not impinge on (affect, influence, have an effect on; infringe, intrude on, encroach on, impinge on, violate) the freedom of speech (अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता) and expression and will be within the framework (ढांचा, रूपरेखा) of “reasonable restrictions” permitted in the Constitution (body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter). However, such regulations may be superfluous (अनावश्यक, फालतू), as existing laws provide for dealing with possible obscenity or vulgarity (bad manners, impropriety, obscenity, lewdness, rudeness, crudity, indecency) in electronic and digital content. That those associated with the controversial programme, ‘India’s Got Latent’, are facing FIRs and have sought protection from arrests show that the present regulations (rule, law, act, directive, statute, decree, ordinance, fiat) may be sufficient. Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), display of content in electronic form shall be deemed (regard as, consider, view as, see as, think, believe to be) to be obscene (disgusting, morally disturbing/upsetting), “if it is lascivious (lewd, lustful, prurient, filthy, dirty, indecent) or appeals to the prurient (lascivious, sexually perverted, salacious, lustful, lewd) interest”, and is a punishable offence (अपराध, उल्लंघन). Similar penal (disciplinary, punitive, corrective; punishable by law) provisions ((legal) term, clause, stipulation, requirement, condition) are available in the IT Act. The Programme Code under the Cable Television Network Rules (Rule 6 Programme Code: No programme should be carried in the cable service which:- (a) Offends against good taste or decency and other things) prohibits programmes that offend decency, among other things (used to indicate that there are several more things like the one mentioned, but that you do not intend to mention them all). The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 provide for age-based classification and a three-tier (three-level, three-layer) system of grievance (complaint, protestation, protest, criticism, problem, objection) redress (reparation, restitution; remedy (of complaints); reparation (for wrongs)), under which users could approach the platform, a self-regulatory (controlled by the people involved in something, instead of by outside organizations or rules) body (committee, council, panel) and a government inter-departmental (existing between two or more departments) committee.

The debate between ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ humour is age-old (having existed for a long time, very old, ancient), but the distinction (difference, contrast, dissimilarity, differentiation) is well-understood. It is only in the context (situation, scenario, backdrop) of public outrage (fury, anger, wrath, shock, resentment, indignation) over specific instances of obscenity or vulgarity that voices are raised about the need to maintain decency and morality. In this case, the folly (foolishness, stupidity, madness, irresponsibility, thoughtlessness) of the participants in making sexually perverse (illogical, irrational, unreasonable; wrong, incorrect) comments is matched (equal) by the zeal (fervour, eagerness, interest) of the complainants (litigator, litigant, appellant, petitioner, claimant, plaintiff) and the police, mainly because of the content being leaked outside a paying audience. The participants may have thus rendered (make, cause to be, cause to become) themselves vulnerable (endangered, unsafe, unprotected, undefended, attackable, defenceless, helpless, powerless) to prosecution (legal action, legal proceeding, legal case), but a mature society should consider whether anyone should go to prison for such a verbal offence. The tendency to get the police to file FIRs wherever someone complains is also to be deprecated (criticize, censure, condemn). The Internet’s universal reach (the ability to reach a wide range of people) should not become an excuse (reason, cause, basis, grounds, justification) to confer (give, present with, grand, hand out) universal jurisdiction (a legal principle allowing or requiring a state to bring criminal proceedings in respect of certain crimes irrespective of the location of the crime and the nationality of the perpetrator (criminal) or the victim). This often takes the case to the Court, as those named in such FIRs want multiple cases to be clubbed (combine, join, get together), leading to attention (notice) and a widening of the debate. An extreme case such as this does evoke (cause, give rise to, invoke, bring forth, elicit, induce) extreme reactions, but law enforcement (imposition, implementation, execution) and legal institutions should not be overzealous (too zealous; excessively sincere, feeling, fervent, impassioned, passionate, enthusiastic) in their response.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.humour (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हास्य, मज़ाक
English Meaning - comedy, funniness, comical aspect.

2.regulatory (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - विनियामक
English Meaning - relating to regulation.

3.measure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपाय, मापदंड
English Meaning - action, step, procedure.

4.obscenity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अश्लीलता, अनैतिकता
English Meaning - indecency, immorality, impropriety, rudeness, vulgarity.

5.superfluous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अनावश्यक, फालतू
English Meaning - unnecessary, needless, inessential; (extra, surplus, excess).

6.in the name of (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के नाम पर, की आड़ में
English Meaning - for the sake of, at the behest of, for the reason of, on behalf of.

7.petition (noun)

Hindi Meaning - याचिका, आवेदन
English Meaning - appeal.

8.alleged (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कथित, आरोपित
English Meaning - supposed, claimed, professed, purported.

9.stakeholder (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हितधारक, साझेदार
English Meaning - a person with an interest in something.

10.offence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अपराध, उल्लंघन
English Meaning - crime, an illegal act, unlawful act, breach/violation of the law.

11.freedom of speech (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता
English Meaning - the right to express opinions without government interference.

12.framework (noun)

Hindi Meaning - ढांचा, रूपरेखा
English Meaning - structure, system.

13.The Constitution of India (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भारत का संविधान
English Meaning - India, also known as Bharat, is a Union of States. It is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949 and came into force on 26th January, 1950.

14.first information report (FIR) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रथम सूचना रिपोर्ट
English Meaning - a written document prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a cognizable offence.

15.Indian Penal Code (IPC) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भारतीय दंड संहिता
English Meaning - The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is the official criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. The draft was passed into law on 6 October 1860. The Code came into operation on 1 January 1862. The Indian Penal Code of 1860, subdivided into 23 chapters, comprises 511 sections. IPC deals with crimes and punishments.

16.vulgarity (noun)

English Meaning - bad manners, impropriety, obscenity, lewdness, rudeness, crudity, indecency.

17.perversity (noun)

English Meaning - obstinacy, perverseness, contrariness, wrong-headedness, awkwardness, irrationality, unreasonableness.

18.regulation (noun)

English Meaning - rule, law, act, directive, statute, decree, ordinance, fiat.

19.air (verb)

English Meaning - voice, express, make public, publicize, circulate, broadcast.

20.sound/strike a note (phrase)

English Meaning - to express a particular type of opinions or feelings about something; communicate, indicate, cite, call to mind, bring to mind

21.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, necessitate, demand.

22.freedom of expression (noun)

English Meaning - the ability of an individual or group of individuals to express their beliefs, thoughts, ideas, and emotions about different issues free from government censorship, restraint, or legal penalty.

23.constitution (noun)

English Meaning - body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter.

24.Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, 2023 (noun)

English Meaning - An Act to consolidate and amend the provisions relating to offences and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. It is the official criminal code in India and it replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It came into effect on 1 July 2024 after being passed by the parliament in December 2023.

25.deem (verb)

English Meaning - regard as, consider, view as, see as, think, believe to be.

26.obscene (adjective)

English Meaning - disgusting, morally disturbing/upsetting.

27.lascivious (adjective)

English Meaning - lewd, lustful, prurient, filthy, dirty, indecent.

28.prurient (adjective)

English Meaning - lascivious, sexually perverted, salacious, lustful, lewd.

29.impinge on (verb)

English Meaning - affect, influence, have an effect on; infringe, intrude on, encroach on, impinge on, violate.

30.penal (adjective)

English Meaning - disciplinary, punitive, corrective; punishable by law.

31.provision (noun)

English Meaning - (legal) term, clause, stipulation, requirement, condition.

32.Information Technology Act (noun)

English Meaning - it is an Act of the Indian Parliament notified on 17 October 2000. It is the primary law in India dealing with cybercrime and electronic commerce.

33.Programme Code under the Cable Television Network Rules (noun)

English Meaning - Rule 6 Programme Code: No programme should be carried in the cable service which:- (a) Offends against good taste or decency and other things.

34.the Cable Television Network Rules (noun)

English Meaning - An Act to regulate the operation of cable television networks in the country and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

35.offend (verb)

English Meaning - contravene, breach, break, violate, encroach on, trespass on, infringe on, obtrude on.

36.decency (noun)

English Meaning - propriety, decorum, morality, good taste, honesty, goodness, righteousness.

37.among other things (phrase)

English Meaning - used to indicate that there are several more things like the one mentioned, but that you do not intend to mention them all.

38.The Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (noun)

English Meaning - the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 has been framed in exercise of powers under section 87 (2) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and in supersession of the earlier Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2011. It empowers ordinary users of social media, embodying a mechanism for the redressal and timely resolution of their grievances. Rules about digital media and OTT focuses more on in house and self-regulation mechanism whereby a robust grievance redressal mechanism has been provided while upholding journalistic and creative freedom. The guidelines have been framed keeping in mind the difference between viewership in a theatre and television as compared to watching it on the Internet.

39.three-tier (noun)

English Meaning - three-level, three-layer.

40.grievance (noun)

English Meaning - complaint, protestation, protest, criticism, problem, objection.

41.redress (noun)

English Meaning - reparation, restitution; remedy (of complaints); reparation (for wrongs).

42.grievance redressal (noun)

English Meaning - a means of receiving and facilitating resolution (through dialogue, negotiation, mediation or arbitration) of complaints.

43.self-regulatory (adjective)

English Meaning - controlled by the people involved in something, instead of by outside organizations or rules.

44.body (noun)

English Meaning - committee, council, panel.

45.inter-departmental (adjective)

English Meaning - existing between two or more departments.

46.age-old (adjective)

English Meaning - having existed for a long time, very old, ancient.

47.distinction (noun)

English Meaning - difference, contrast, dissimilarity, differentiation.

48.context (noun)

English Meaning - situation, scenario, backdrop.

49.outrage (noun)

English Meaning - fury, anger, wrath, shock, resentment, indignation.

50.folly (noun)

English Meaning - foolishness, stupidity, madness, irresponsibility, thoughtlessness.

51.perverse (adjective)

English Meaning - illogical, irrational, unreasonable; wrong, incorrect.

52.match (verb)

English Meaning - equal.

53.zeal (noun)

English Meaning - fervour, eagerness, interest.

54.complainant (noun)

English Meaning - litigator, litigant, appellant, petitioner, claimant, plaintiff.

55.render (verb)

English Meaning - make, cause to be, cause to become.

56.vulnerable (adjective)

English Meaning - endangered, unsafe, unprotected, undefended, attackable, defenceless, helpless, powerless.

57.prosecution (noun)

English Meaning - legal action, legal proceeding, legal case.

58.deprecate (verb)

English Meaning - criticize, censure, condemn.

59.universal reach (noun)

English Meaning - the ability to reach a wide range of people.

60.excuse (noun)

English Meaning - reason, cause, basis, grounds, justification.

61.confer (verb)

English Meaning - give, present with, grand, hand out.

62.universal jurisdiction (noun)

English Meaning - a legal principle allowing or requiring a state to bring criminal proceedings in respect of certain crimes irrespective of the location of the crime and the nationality of the perpetrator (criminal) or the victim.

63.club (verb)

English Meaning - combine, join, get together.

64.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - cause, give rise to, result in, bring about.

65.attention (noun)

English Meaning - notice.

66.evoke (verb)

English Meaning - cause, give rise to, invoke, bring forth, elicit, induce.

67.enforcement (noun)

English Meaning - imposition, implementation, execution.

68.law enforcement (noun)

English Meaning - it describes the agencies and employees responsible for enforcing laws, maintaining public order, and managing public safety.