Need clear method to check paedophilic content on social media: SC to govt

The Supreme Court on Friday sought a report from the Union Home Ministry about paedophilic activities on social media, while hearing a petition filed by ‘Shame the Rapist’ campaigner Sunitha Krishnan.

This comes in the backdrop of ‘kochu sundarikal’ case where five people were arrested by Kerala police for allegedly indulging inciting sexual assault on minors.

The court observed there should be a clear method to check these kinds of crimes and asked the Information and Broadcasting ministry to look after it.

The phrase ’kochu sundarikal’is the Malayalam for little beauties.

One of the arrested was the admin of the page while others were arrested for posting vicious comments amounting to sexual offences against children under Indian law.

The other four people who have been arrested had posted vicious commented on threads on the page, including comments which incited sexual assault. The contents of these comments amount to sexual offences against children under Indian laws.

The court also ordered the details related to the case to be submitted in court.

Police acted on a complaint lodged by a Thiruvananthapuram-based couple against the page the police on September 5.

However, the delay of the arrest was attributed to making the case as water-tight as possible by a senior police official.

Previously, the same couple had got Facebook to shut down another page called “Kochu Sundarikal” for paedophilic content. There were no nude photos of children or women on the page, but comments on the page amounted to offences under Indian law in April, 2014.

But that time, after tracing the location of the administrator to Saudi Arabia, police had to drop the matter as the Kerala police does not have jurisdiction in that country.