A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, will on Wednesday pronounce its verdict on a petition to live-stream Supreme Court proceedings.
The Bench, also comprising Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, has agreed to the suggestion as a measure to help litigants conveniently follow the proceedings in their cases and assess their lawyers’ performance. It, however, said live-streaming should be initially limited to constitutional issues heard in the court of Chief Justice of India.
The court said it was ready to go live on camera, while the government proposed a separate TV channel. The court referred to live-streaming as an extension of the open court system wherein the public can walk in to watch proceedings.
Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal proposed a dedicated channel similar to the Rajya Sabha TV and the Lok Sabha TV. However, senior advocate Indira Jaising, who filed the petition in person, insisted that agreements with broadcasters be on a non-commercial basis, and there be no unauthorised reproduction of content.