One step closer to sunlight? Supreme Court forms panel to examine live streaming of cases

A committee of Supreme Court judges has been set up to frame rules to regulate live streaming of hearings in High Courts and trial courts across the country, reports The Print..The four-member panel formed by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court will also examine aspects relating to video conference hearings and digitisation of courts. .The panel is expected to submit its report to e-Committee Chairperson Justice DY Chandrachud within a week..In its September 2018 judgment in Swapnil Tripathi v. Supreme Court of India, the Apex Court had allowed live streaming of cases of Constitutional importance that take place in the court of the Chief Justice of India (CJI)..A three-judge Bench of then CJI Dipak Misra and Justices Chandrachud and AM Khanwilkar had observed in its judgment that “sunlight is the best disinfectant”. It had also directed the administrative side of the Court to frame necessary rules and guidelines to facilitate live streaming of important cases..[Breaking]: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant”, SC allows live streaming of cases of Constitutional importance.However, the Court is yet to take any step towards this. Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, one of the petitioners in the Swapnil Tripathi case, was thus prompted to file an application seeking directions to be issued to the Supreme Court administration to frame rules so that hearings in significant cases can reach the masses..Supreme Court issues notice in Indira Jaising’s application seeking framing of rules for live streaming of proceedings .Meanwhile, the High Courts of Gujarat, Madras and Calcutta have begun live streaming of hearings in a limited manner. The Gujarat High Court began streaming of proceedings in the Chief Justice’s Court through Youtube from October 26..Breaking: Gujarat High Court to begin live streaming of proceedings from Chief Justice's courtroom.The Calcutta High Court had, in February 2020, allowed live streaming of final hearings in a case concerning rights of Parsi women..Calcutta HC allows live-streaming of final hearings in case concerning rights of entry into Fire Temple [Read Order].Attorney General KK Venugopal recently adverted to the examples of these High Courts while urging the Supreme Court to follow suit..On October 26, the AG insisted that the Supreme Court should start live streaming of cases so that people across India can watch the proceedings live..“I was watching live streaming of proceedings from Madras High Court. There was no glitch. Live streaming can be on your agenda so hearings can be seen across the India”, he had stated..CJI SA Bobde had then responded that a decision in this regard will be taken soon.