New Delhi, March 18 More than 3,100 Telegram channels and about 800 websites hosting pirated content have been disabled at the government's order, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L Murugan, said the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023, has strengthened the legal framework to deter film piracy, with sections 6AA and 6AB, which prohibit unauthorized recording and transmission of films.
He said Section 7(1A) provides that if any person contravenes these two provisions, they shall be punishable with a minimum of three months' imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3 lakh, which can be extended up to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to 5 per cent of the audited gross production cost.
In accordance with the provisions of the law, the Telegram App was notified under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000, on March 11, 2026, to remove and disable access to the 3,142 channels publishing content owned by or licensed to certain content owners, OTT platforms and producers without authorization, in violation of the Copyright Act, 1957, Murugan said in reply to a written question.
The minister said access to approximately 800 websites hosting pirated content was disabled through Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
