The Delhi High Court has turned down a petition seeking the livestreaming of judicial proceedings, emphasizing that the issue is already under administrative review.
Justice Sachin Datta, in his ruling, highlighted the significant infrastructural and security concerns associated with broadcasting court hearings in real-time. The Court noted that any expansion of livestreaming must be carefully planned to prevent misuse, particularly in light of incidents where courtroom footage has been manipulated and circulated on social media.
This isn’t the first time the High Court has addressed such a request. In a previous case, the Court had similarly declined to fast-track livestreaming, citing logistical hurdles. Justice Datta reiterated that while efforts are underway to assess and implement livestreaming in a structured manner, imposing strict deadlines without resolving technical issues would be impractical.
The petitioner had argued that the Supreme Court’s e-committee had already formulated model rules for livestreaming court proceedings, and that the Delhi High Court had issued guidelines on archiving and accessing recorded hearings. However, the Court dismissed the plea, stating that the technical committees are actively working on the matter and any directives issued without addressing existing challenges could disrupt the judicial process.
With concerns over security, infrastructure, and resource allocation still unresolved, the Court opted to let the administrative process take its course rather than intervene through judicial orders.
