The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered over-the-top (OTT) platforms and film producers to ensure accessibility features like audio description, same-language captioning are incorporated in a bunch of movies released on the platform. .Justice Sachin Datta's order would apply to movies like the Buckingham murderers, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Shaitan, Article 370 and Kaluva. The Court directed that the movie producers are required to ensure that accessibility features are incorporated in all future releases at the time of release on OTT platforms. The Court also ordered the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to expedite the formulation of guidelines on the issue. It will hear the case next on July 17. .Justice Datta was hearing the case related to the incorporation of accessibility features, audio description, same language captioning, and Indian sign language for the visually and hearing impaired in electronic media content on OTT platforms such as Amazon and Netflix. .Advocate Rahul Bajaj appeared for the petitioners and argued that while some movies have incorporated the accessibility features now, the producers must ensure that the same is done at the time of the release. He further stated that MIB has informed that it is in the process of formulating the guidelines on the issue, but, for now, there is only an advisory, and he has challenged that as well. Meanwhile, Advocate Saikrishna Rajgopal appeared for Netflix and said they fully committed towards adhering to guidelines released by MIB and all the Netflix Originals, the shows produced by Netflix, already have certain accessibility features.
