Live Streaming | Keen On Having A Uniform Platform For All Courts : CJI DY Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday said that the efforts are being made for a uniform platform for live-streaming of Courts. At present, the live-streaming of proceedings of Constitution Bench hearings in the Supreme Court and also various High Courts are done through the respective YouTube channels of these Courts.

 A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha was considering a writ petition filed by Nedupmara seeking a uniform platform for live streaming of court proceedings.

At the outset, Chief Justice Chandrachud asked Advocate Nedumpara why can't he submit his suggestions before the Secretary General. Advocate Nedumpara said–

"I consulted a number of people. In nutshell I have been told that the technology is there. The government is fully equipped with that."

CJI Chandrachud responded–

"We are working on it. In fact, yesterday's constitution benches were live streamed for all...What we will say is that you are not pressing it at this stage but we will give you liberty to make whatever suggestions you have to the Secretary General of the Supreme Court. Rest assured we are working. I am as keen on this as you are."

Advocate Nedumpara requested the bench–

"I have one more suggestion. There are various high courts – such as the Bombay High Court where live streaming has to be adopted. Let me address this to the various chief justices of the high courts."

He was granted permission to submit his suggestions to the High Courts as well. 

Accordingly, the petition was disposed of. 

Last week, CJI Chandrachud had said that live-streaming through YouTube is a temporary arrangement. In response to another plea seeking an independent platform for live-streaming, Registrar of SC's Computer Cell said in an affidavit :

"Not only the Registry, but NIC as well, at present, does not have the sufficient technical and infrastructure wherewithal to host the live streaming completely on its own without third-party applications and solutions. The dependency on third-party applications to offer the live streaming services to a larger audience, therefore, is inevitable."

Case Title: Mathews J. Nedumpara And Ors. v. SCI And Anr. WP(C) No. 1259/2019