Former SC judge Arjan Kumar Sikri appointed chairperson of Grievance Redressal body for OTT platforms

Industry body IAMAI on Thursday said former Supreme Court judge Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri will chair the Grievance Redressal Board of the recently formed Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC).

The DPCGC currently has 14 publishers of online curated content as members, which include Amazon Prime Video, Alt Balaji, Apple, BookMyShow Stream, Eros Now, Firework TV, Hoichoi, Hungama, Lionsgate Play, MX Player, Netflix, Reeldrama, Shemaroo and Ullu.

The Grievance Redressal Board (GRB) will address content grievances pertaining to the Council members' video online streaming services.

It will function as an independent body and act as the second-tier within the three-tier grievance redressal mechanism as envisioned by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, IAMAI said in a statement.

Announcing that Justice Sikri will chair DPCGC's Grievance Redressal Board, it said the GRB will work towards providing independent adjudication on content grievances escalated to it.

In May, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) had announced setting up of the DPCGC to help address unresolved consumer grievances and ensure compliance with the latest guidelines for OTT players.

On 25 February, while announcing new IT guidelines, the government had also outlined rules for over-the-top (OTT) and digital media, which mandated that a Code of Ethics and a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism be put in place.

The government, at that time, had said 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.

IAMAI, in its statement on Thursday, said the members of the GRB include prominent personalities from the media and entertainment industry, online curated content providers, experts from various fields, including child rights, women rights, and media laws.

The GRB includes National Award-winning actress Suhasini Maniratnam; Madhu Bhojwani, Indian film producer and partner at Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures; Gopal Jain (senior advocate, Supreme Court); and Dr Ranjana Kumari, an eminent civil society representative, it added.

Amit Grover, Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon India and Netflix India Director-legal Priyanka Chaudhari will also be a part of the GRB.

"The GRB will oversee and ensure the alignment and adherence to the Code of Ethics by the DPCGC members, provide guidance to member entities on the Code of Ethics and address grievances that have not been resolved by the publisher within the stipulated period," IAMAI said.