The legal advice – news

India’s Supreme Court is moving forward with plans to begin live-streaming regular hearings across all courts.

A test run of live streaming was conducted today to allow public access to the proceedings.

This trial was made possible by the court’s own request and not through its official YouTube channel. Until now, live broadcasts have been reserved primarily for constitutional matters and cases of significant public interest. Recently, the court also livestreamed hearings in the NEET-UG case and RG Kar suo motu case due to their relevance to the public.

An official start date for the live broadcast of regular hearings has yet to be announced.

This initiative follows the landmark 2018 Supreme Court ruling Swapnil Tripathi vs. Supreme Court of Indiawhich paved the way for virtual access to court hearings. The court ordered that live streaming be conducted for cases of constitutional and national importance, excluding cases involving juveniles, sexual assaults and marital disputes.

The first case ever to be broadcast live was the challenge to the EWS quota (related to the 103rd Constitutional Amendment) in 2022. With the current initiative to broadcast regular court hearings, the public will have unprecedented access to the proceedings of the Court to routinely pursue matters.

Following the Supreme Court’s lead, various high courts have also started livestreaming their court sessions, with the Gujarat High Court being the first to adopt the practice.

The live streaming initiative aims to uphold the principle of public justice, strengthen the public’s right to information and promote greater transparency in judicial proceedings