Madhya Pradesh High Court Frowns Upon Reels, Memes Of Live-Streamed Court Proceedings, Orders To Take Them Down

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has raised concerns over the misuse of live-streamed court proceedings by circulation in the form of reels and memes on social media platforms.

The division bench of Chief Justice Suresh Kait and Justice Vivek Jain thus restrained social media platforms, media agencies, and individuals from editing, morphing, or illegally sharing its live-streamed videos.

“Till further orders, we hereby restrain the respondent Nos.5 to 7, all social media, individuals, video-makers, Media agencies and general public from editing/morphing or illegally using in any form or sharing of Court Proceedings of live streamed videos etc. of this Court with immediate effect,” it ordered.

Court further ordered that all videos, shorts and reels uploaded in derogation of Rule 11(b) of MP Live-Streaming and Recording Rules for Court Proceedings, 2021 shall be taken down.

“It is made clear that if any social media platform intends to publish the Court proceedings, that will be permissible only in the manner provided by and subject to restrictions and limitations as per Rule 11(b) of Rules of 2021 and not in any other manner,” it added.

The bench was dealing with a writ petition filed by Dr. Vijay Bajaj pointing towards an increase in circulation of edited and morphed clips of live court proceedings on social media platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta and YouTube have been made party to the dispute.

The petitioner contended that the unauthorised release of these recordings, marketed as "memes," "reels," or "shorts," violates the judicial process and generates cash through sensationalised subtitles and edits that appeal to viewers.

The petitioner further claimed that these unauthorised activities lead to a distorted perception of court proceedings and are frequently accompanied by "abusive language" in comment sections on platforms such as YouTube. Petitioner claims that such acts could harm the reputation of the judiciary and its officials, as well as the lawyers involved in cases, and cites "spicier" captions and changes that attempt to enhance audience and, as a result, sponsorship revenue.

The petitioner also demanded the installation of centralised and district-level command centres to monitor and regulate live-streamed content, as well as a 20-minute time lag to prevent unsuitable segments from becoming publicly viewable. The petitioner highlighted the Supreme Court's ruling in Swati Tripathi v. State of Madhya Pradesh, which emphasised the necessity of maintaining decorum in live-streamed hearings and provided direction on limited use for media and educational reasons only.

On Court's order, notices have been issued to respondents, which include the Union of India, social media platforms etc. The matter has been listed for further consideration six weeks later.

Case title: Dr.Vijay Bajaj Vs Union Of India And Others

Case no: WP-30572-2024

Click Here To Read/Download Order