Kerala HC suggests dedicated portal for complaints against negative online film reviews

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday suggested the creation of a dedicated portal where producers and public can upload complaints against malicious online film reviews. Justice Devan Ramachandran made the suggestion when a writ petition filed by director Mubeen Rauf against online film reviews came up for hearing. The court asked amicus curiae Shyam Padman to go through the protocol formulated by the State Police Chief on film reviews and suggest whether it called for any fine-tuning, including creation of a dedicated portal for uploading complaints against negative online reviews. The protocol envisaged registration of criminal defamation cases if false statements made in the reviews harmed the reputation of any individuals associated with the film. The protocol also proposed to invoke provisions of the Information Technology Act if the reviews involved online harassment, cyberbullying, or abusive behaviour.