Censorship, Media Law and Ethics

Assignment
Q. Trace the IPC sections and IT Act sections used against
AIB in different complaints to the police and the court.
Provide the applicability of these sections to their act.
The AIB Knockout or the All India Bakchod- Roast was a one-night
event where Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor got
taken down a notch by AIB comedians and the Roast master Karan
Johar. However, what followed was a series of complaints and
reports filed against the AIB and the stars under various IPC and IT
Act sections.
IPC Sections and IT Act sessions used against AIB and their
applicability are1. IPC Section 294: obscene acts or songs;
It states that whoever, to the annoyance of others, a) does
any obscene act in any public place, or b) sings, recites or
utters any obscene songs, ballad or word, in or near any
public place, shall be punished.
Applicability: The act is applicable on the AIB Roast as the
language used was vulgar, filthy and abusive. Also, the acts
were indecent and conducted in a public place.
2. IPC Section 509: words or gestures intended to insult the
modesty of a woman;
It states that Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any
woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or
exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be
heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such
woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, shall be
punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may
extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
Applicability: The act is applicable on the AIB Roast as phrases;
comments and words were used against women, who were a
part of the show. The Roast had content that insulted women
and their modesty.
3. IPC Section 120(B): criminal conspiracy;
It states that (a) Whoever is a party to a criminal
conspiracy to commit an offence punishable with death,
[imprisonment for life] or rigorous imprisonment for a term of
two years or upwards, shall, where no express provision is
made in this Code for the punishment of such a conspiracy, be
punished in the same manner as if he had abetted such
offence.
(b) Whoever is a party to a criminal conspiracy other than a
criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable as

aforesaid shall be punished with imprisonment of either

description for a term not exceeding six months, or with fine
or with both.
Applicability: The show was a scripted event which means that
everybody who were a part of the Roast were involved in all
ways to make this show happen. It was done with everybodys
consent and common interest and hence the act is applicable on
AIB.
4. IPC Section 34: acts done by several persons with common
intentions;
It states When a criminal act is done by several persons in
furtherance of the common intention of all, each of such
persons is liable for that act in the same manner as if it were
done by him alone.
Applicability: The IPC Act 120B and its applicability implies that
section 34 is also applicable as the AIB Roast was a scripted
event that included several people with common intentions and
a common motive that followed all the happenings of the event.
5. IT Act Section 66A: Sending offensive message through
electronic means;
It states that Sending any information through an electronic
message that is grossly offensive or has menacing character
and might cause insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity,
hatred, or ill will, etc. or sending such mail intended to deceive
or to mislead the addressee or recipient about the origin of
such messages.
Applicability: The AIB Roast video was uploaded on YouTube
and went viral with millions of viewers watching it on the
Internet. Since the act was offensive, abusive and vulgar as per
the IPC sections defined above, it is hence true that the IT Act
sections 66A is applicable on the above Roast.
6. IT Act Section 67: Punishment for publishing or transmitting
obscene material in electronic form;
It states that Whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be
published or transmitted in the electronic form, any material
which is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest or if its
effect is such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who
are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read,
see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it, shall be
punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either
description for a term which may extend to three years and
with fine which may extend to five lakh rupees and in the
event of second or subsequent conviction with imprisonment
of either description for a term which may extend to five years
and also with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees.
Applicability: The section is applicable on the AIB Roast as the
content was censored, obscene and abusive as per the IPC
sections and was distributed over the Internet and made
available to everybody. The video harmed various religious

sentiments and interests and was published over the Internet,

which makes the IT Act Section 67 applicable on it.
Submitted ByAchira Baid
MBA-Senior
Whistling Woods International