Aishwarya Rathore-
Chief Justice of India, N V Ramana has stated that live-streaming of Supreme Court proceedings may begin shortly and that technicalities are being worked out to make this possible.
During the virtual launch of live-streaming of Gujarat High Court proceedings, Justice Ramana said, “The Supreme Court is considering beginning live-streaming of some courts.”
The Chief Justice of India also added that ”Currently, people get information about Court proceedings through the media. In effect, the information from the Courts is being filtered by agents of transmission. In the process, there is sometimes a transmission loss leading to misinterpretation of questions asked and observations made by the bench, due to the absence of context.”
Furthermore, he said, “It is this lack of direct access which gives space for misconceptions. Live-streaming of proceedings is crucial for dissemination of information which is a sacrosanct aspect of Article 19.”
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He added that through such direct access, people can get first-hand information about the entire proceeding and the opinions of the judges, “leaving little room for any mischief”.
Justice Ramana said, “With the enhanced access, lawyers should not go after publicity, rather they must make sure to put in all possible efforts to protect the best interests of their clients. They must always uphold and maintain the dignity of the profession”.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice D Y Chandrachud said, “Whether or not people are interested in a particular case, live-streaming adds to transparency. People get to know that the judges work, indeed.”
The Supreme Court had previously stated that in circumstances of constitutional significance, the Court’s proceedings should be live-streamed.
Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Vikram Nath remarked during the virtual launch, “Going live needed courage, confidence, and above all conviction. All my brother and sister judges approve live-streaming rules unanimously.”