Supreme Court directs Centre to create national database to tackle child sexual abuse material online
The Supreme Court has directed the Union government to establish a comprehensive national database to identify and remove child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM) from the internet. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Chandran instructed the Centre, through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Ministry of Law and Justice, to frame necessary guidelines, standard operating procedures, and amendments to IT rules. The government must file an affidavit detailing implementation progress by December 10, 2026.
The Court expressed concern that despite its 2024 directions in the Just Rights for Children Alliance case, such material continues to circulate online. The bench noted that fragmented approaches and lack of coordination between platforms and regulatory authorities have hindered effective removal of abusive content. When one platform detects and removes such material, it is not automatically flagged and removed from others, leading to delays and incomplete eradication from the internet.
The Court stated that the national database could be set up within the existing Sahyog Portal or as a standalone repository. The bench emphasized that social media intermediaries must be made answerable to Indian law and held accountable for hosting such harmful content.
