Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association recommends “levy” on porn sites

The Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association (SCWLA) has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking, amongst other things, a government levy on pornographic websites..This, according to SCWLA, would act as a deterrent in accessing such websites..Besides that, the SCWLA has also sought a blanket ban on eight porn sites – Xvideos.com, Xnxx.com, Pornhub.com, Xhamster.com, Youporn.com, Redtube. com, Tube8.com, Hclips.com..The affidavit was filed by the SCWLA in the case of Kamlesh Vaswani v. Union of India. SCWLA had impleaded itself in the case..The SCWLA has suggested an “access on request” mechanism to porn. As per the same, access can be provided after the verification of the visitor’s identity and age. The affidavit also proposes a payment gateway under which a minimum amount not exceeding Rs. 100 should be paid to the government to access the websites..However, certain portions of the affidavit has come under the scanner. As per the affidavit, if payment of an amount of Rs. 100 is prescribed as a pre-condition, the same would reflect in the visitor’s bank accounts..“Also people like auto-drivers and people belonging to similar strata of the society will have restricted access to online pornography. Also, it can be a great revenue generating model for the government”, the affidavit states..This had caused considerable outrage on social media..SCWLA General Secretary Prerna Kumari says,.“I am not pointing fingers at any particular section of the society. I am not talking about auto drivers or bus drivers or truck drivers or any class of people. My concern is regarding the ease in which porn can be accessed. .Even at home you never know if a relative comes and accesses porn websites or abuse children. Small children face problems in private cabs and school buses. It is easy to access porn. So there should be some kind of regulation.”.The case is now likely to be heard on August 28.