Supreme Court Releases Draft
Model Rules for Live-Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings
e-Committee of Supreme Court releases Draft Model Rules
for Live-Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings; Comments/inputs sought
from stakeholders
Draft Model Rules aims to imbue greater
transparency, inclusivity and foster access to justice
The e-Committee, Supreme Court of India has released the
Draft Model Rules for Live-Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings and has
invited inputs, feedback and suggestions on it from all the stakeholders on 7
June 2021. The Draft Model Rules are available on the e-committee website
[Click the link to Download the Draft Model Rules for Live-Streaming and
Recording of Court Proceedings https://ecommitteesci.gov.in/document/draft-model-rules-for-live-streaming-and-recording-ofcourt-proceedings/
). The e-Committee of Supreme Court of India along with the Department of
Justice, Government of India is working under the National Policy and Action
Plan for implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in
the Indian Judiciary.
Suggestions and inputs on the Draft Model Rules for
Live-Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings can be sent in the following
email ID ecommittee@aij.gov.in on or before 30.06.2021.
Dr. Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, the Supreme Court Judge and Chairperson of
e-Committee, has written a letter to all Chief Justices of the High court
calling for the inputs and suggestions on the Draft Model Rules for
Live-Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings. He mentions in the letter
that the right of access to justice, guaranteed under Article 21 of the
Constitution encompasses the right to access live court proceedings. To imbue
greater transparency, inclusivity and foster access to justice, the e-Committee
has undertaken the project of live streaming of court proceedings on priority.
This will enable access to live court proceedings, including on matters of
public interest to citizens, journalists, civil society, academicians and law
students on a real time basis, which was not otherwise possible owing to
geographical, logistical or infrastructural issues.
A sub-committee consisting of judges of the Bombay, Delhi,
Madras and Karnataka High Courts was constituted to frame model live streaming
rules. The sub-committee has held extensive deliberations. It took into account
the principles enunciated in the decision of the Supreme Court in Swapnil Tripathi v Supreme Court
of India, (2018) 10 SCC 639 including the concerns of privacy and
confidentiality of litigants and witnesses, matters relating to business
confidentiality, prohibition or restriction of access to proceedings or trials
stipulated by Central or State legislation and in some cases to preserve the
larger public interest owing to the sensitivity of the case. These model rules
provide a balanced regulatory framework for live streaming and recording of
court proceedings.