Private viewing of porn within four walls not a crime: SC

New Delhi, July 10: In a surprising move, the Supreme Court on Thursday said that watching porn in the privacy of a room by an individual does not amount to crime.

Chief Justice HL Dattu said that 'the court cannot pass orders to stop adults from watching porn within the four walls of their room as it could be a violation of Article 21 (Right to personal liberty).

Dattu was heading a three-judge bench while hearing a PIL filed by an Indore-based lawyer for a ban on all porn sites in the country. Dattu has now asked the Union Home Ministry to file a detailed affidavit in four weeks.

Centre on Wednesday had assured the Supreme Court that all possible measures would be taken to block porn sites, particularly those dealing with child pornography.

The petitioner had pleaded that although watching obscene videos is not an offence, pornographic sites should be banned as they were one of the major causes for crimes against women.

OneIndia News