Bengaluru: The trial court hearing the fan murder case in Bengaluru has, for the first time, issued direct notices to social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and X, over the circulation of videos of court proceedings related to the case.
The 59th Sessions Court issued the notices Wednesday and directed that social media platforms remove videos of the proceedings. Following the court’s directions, videos of the court proceedings that had been circulated online were being deleted.
The court also directed the police to initiate legal action against those who record and circulate live proceedings of the case. The police have been specifically instructed to register contempt of court proceedings against those found recording and making the proceedings viral.
The action follows the circulation of videos of proceedings involving accused-turned approver Pradosh S. Rao. Social media influencers and YouTubers had allegedly recorded and uploaded portions of the proceedings on their platforms.
The court has taken a serious view of the unauthorised recording and circulation of proceedings and issued directions to prevent further dissemination of such content.
Until now, the police had generally handled such instances by approaching social media platforms, issuing notices and registering cases against those responsible for uploading the content.
With the latest order, the trial court has directly issued notices to the social media platforms and made it clear that unauthorised recording and circulation of court proceedings could invite legal action, including contempt proceedings.
The case pertains to the murder of Renukaswamy, in which actor Darshan and several others are accused. The trial is being conducted before the 59th Sessions Court in Bengaluru.
Pradosh Rao, accused No. 14 in the high-profile Renukaswamy murder case involving Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, was granted official approver status. He had been recording a massive, multi-page confidential confession statement before the magistrate.
Following the emergence of viral clips showing closed or restricted court trial interactions, the Sessions Court took serious objection to the digital circulation. It pulled up social media platforms for hosting the leaked content.
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