Will Supreme Court Allow The "Sunlight" In? SC Sets Up Panel To Look Into Live-Streaming Of Hearings

Supreme Court has set up a panel in order to formulate rules regulating live-streaming of hearings in High Courts and Trial Courts, the Print reports.

The panel formed by e-Committee of top court is expected to examine nuances relating to video conference hearings and digitisation of courts & submit its report to the Chairperson of Committee, Justice DY Chandrachud, within a week.

Deliberations revolving around the possibility of live-streaming court proceedings are being held for the first time since a three-judge bench led by then CJI Dipak Mishra referred to Live Streaming as the Sunlight which will act as a disinfectant.

In the Swapnil Tripathi Case, Supreme Court had held that the Court proceedings shall be live-streamed in the larger public interest. The Bench had also said that appropriate Rules in that regard will be framed soon under Article 145 of the Constitution of India.

"Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Live-streaming as an extension of the principle of open courts will ensure that the interface between a court hearing with virtual reality will result in the dissemination of information in the widest possible sense, imparting transparency and accountability to the judicial process" - this was the declaration made by the Supreme Court two years ago while green flagging the idea of live-streaming the court proceedings.

Now, two years later, the deliberations seem to have picked up.

Recently, while taking up its own suo motu proceedings surrounding virtual courts and hearings, Attorney General KK Venugopal had told CJI SA Bobde that Live Streaming of court proceedings should be on its agenda soon.

"I was watching live streaming of proceedings from Madras HC. There was no glitch. Live streaming can be on your agenda so hearings can be seen across the India," the AG had said

Recently, a query had been raised under the Right to Information Act seeking reasons for the non-implementation of live-streaming of court proceedings by giving an evasive reply that the "matter is under the consideration of the Registry".

When Puducherry-based activist-journalist Mr.Saurav Das filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking to the know reasons for the non-implementation of the directions in the Swapnil Tripathi judgment, he received the following reply from the Additional Registrar/Public Information Officer of the SC :

"Judicial orders have been passed and the matter is under the consideration of the Registry"

Last year, an application was filed on the judicial side of the Supreme Court seeking the live-streaming of the hearing of the Ayodhya case. But this was not allowed by the Court.

Another application seeking to expedite the implementation of live-streaming guidelines is pending before the Court.