Par panel to look into aspect of cyber porn, ways to check it

A Parliamentary committee has decided to look into the aspect of cyber porn and ways to check it amid complaints that it is "distorting and distressing" the society.

The Committee on Petitions of the Rajya Sabha has taken cognizance of a plea made to it, seeking a check on cyber pornography by amending the IT Act, 2000.

The committee has sought opinion from stakeholders and public to help formulate its view.

The petition signed by noted Jain priest Vijayratna Sunder Suri and countersigned by Rajya Sabha MP Vijay J Darda says the free sex culture through cyber pornography is "distorting and distressing" society.

"More than two-third of India's population is below 35 years. This large section of the population, which is the hope for the country's future, is getting digressed, distorted and distressed due to the growing free sex culture through cyber pornography," the petition said.

The petitioners, the committee said, have made a vehement prayer that steps be taken to check online porn content, which is having an "extremely bad effect on the youth as well the adults leading to various typed of social and medical problems as well as perpetration of crime".

The petition has demanded an amendment to the IT Act so as to make pornography on computer or mobile a crime, attracting severe punishment to the producers, distributors and viewers of such sites.

The petitioners have blamed cyber porn for what they claim growing problems of psycho-physical nature, including sexually transmitted disease and sexual deformities among others. They have also blamed it for the rising incident of sexual exploitation of children.