A Supreme Court Bench has mooted the possibility of having audio and video recordings of proceedings in the constitutional courts — the Supreme Court and the High Courts.
A Bench of Justices A.K. Goel and U.U. Lalit on Friday said judges in other countries do not consider recording of proceedings as a violation of privacy of court proceedings. The Bench observed orally that the U.S. Supreme Court has video and audio recordings of its proceedings. The Bench even mulled the possibility of recording tribunal proceedings.
The discussion with Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh came during the hearing of a petition filed by Pradyuman Bisht for installing CCTV cameras in criminal courts as a measure to ensure fair trial.
On March 28, the Supreme Court directed that at least “two districts in every State/Union Territory, (with the exception of small States/Union Territories where it may be considered difficult to do so by the concerned High Courts) CCTV cameras (without audio recording) may be installed inside the courts and at such important locations of the court complexes as may be considered appropriate.”
“Monitor thereof may be in the chamber of the District and Session Judge concerned. Location of the district courts and any other issues concerning the subject may be decided by the respective High Courts. We make it clear that the footage of the CCTV camera will not be available under the RTI [Act] and will not be supplied to anyone without permission of the High Court concerned,” the Supreme Court had ordered. The court had ordered that the installation of such cameras should be completed within three months.
The court said the Registrar Generals of the respective High Courts should hand over a status report to the secretary-general of the apex court a month after the installations are completed.
Mr. Singh submitted that 12 High Courts had already installed cameras in two districts, while others were in the process of doing so.
