Ekta Kapoor issues statement, says 'not associated in any capacity' with ALTT

Mumbai, July 26 (IANS) Television Czarina Ekta Kapoor has issued a clarification stating that neither she nor her mother Shobha Kapoor are associated with ALTT in “any capacity.”

The statement comes after the government banned ALTT, ULLU, Desiflix and 23 other OTT apps for soft porn content.

Ekta took to Instagram, where she shared a statement, which read: ““Balaji Telefilms Limited, listed on the BSE and NSE, is a professionally run media organization and following the recent amalgamation of ALT Digital Media Entertainment Ltd. (previously its wholly owned subsidiary) duly approved by the Hon’ble NCLT, it operates ALTT wef June 20, 2025."

She went to share that neither she nor Shobha is connected with ALTT in any capacity and had stepped down from their association in 2021.

The statement read: "Media reports have been in circulation about ALTT being disabled by the authorities, however, contrary to such reports, Ms. Ekta Kapoor and Mrs. Shobha Kapoor are not associated in any capacity whatsoever with ALTT and they had stepped down from their association with ALTT way back in June 2021.”

“Any insinuation contrary to the above facts is strongly denied and media is requested to report the accurate facts. Balaji Telefilms Limited is fully compliant of all applicable laws and continues to operate its business with the highest standards of corporate governance," concluded the statement.

The post was captioned: “To whomsoever it may concern.”

On July 25, in a bid to crack down on unlawful and obscene content, the government directed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to disable public access to 25 OTT platforms, including big and popular names like Ullu, ALTT, and Desiflix.

A notification issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) emphasised that the intermediaries are responsible for removing or disabling access to unlawful information under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

It said the move is aimed at curbing the dissemination of content that is deemed sexually explicit and violative of Indian legal and cultural standards.

The banned apps include Big Shots App, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, Gulab App, Kangan App, Bull App, Jalva App, Wow Entertainment, Look Entertainment, Hitprime, Feneo, ShowX, Sol Talkies, Adda TV, HotX VIP, Hulchul App, MoodX, NeonX VIP, Fugi, Mojflix, Triflicks.

These have been found in violation of various laws, including Section 67 and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

In April, the Supreme Court responded to a petition calling for a ban on sexually explicit content on OTT and social media.

--IANS

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