New Delhi: Supreme Court Friday directed the Centre to incorporate measures for taking action against violations of its interim restrictions on the unauthorised extraction, dissemination and commercial exploitation of live-streamed court proceedings in the proposed policy framework.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana took note of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s submission that suggestions from various high courts and other stakeholders had been received and forwarded to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for the preparation of comprehensive guidelines.
The solicitor general said that the MeitY would consider the suggestions and respond in a few days. He sought listing of the plea for further consideration after Diwali vacation.
He also flagged violations of earlier orders and urged the bench to consider directing the removal of material uploaded in breach of its restrictions.
Taking note of the submission, the bench said, “Necessary measures for taking action against those who fail to comply with the directions will also be incorporated in the policy regime.”
The bench, in its order, referred to the interim directions issued earlier, including the order dated October 9, 2026, and emphasised the need to ensure their compliance and effective implementation.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan suggested that every official clip released by the court should carry a verifiable digital signature or watermark, enabling the public and digital platforms to distinguish genuine footage from manipulated versions.
He further suggested that all court proceedings should be made available on the Supreme Court’s website in an authenticated and watermarked format.
The court is examining the issue amid concerns over the unauthorised extraction, modification, circulation and commercial use of video clips of judicial proceedings, often accompanied by misleading captions or representations.
On July 24, the bench had prohibited the extraction, dissemination, monetisation, posting, reposting, uploading, transmission, modification, storage or hosting of audio-video recordings of judicial proceedings on social media or other digital platforms without prior permission of the secretary general of the Supreme Court or the registrar generals of the jurisdictional high courts.
The restrictions were subsequently clarified on September 18, making it clear that they did not impose a blanket prohibition on recognised news outlets reporting court proceedings.
News organisations were permitted to continue reporting on judicial proceedings and legal developments, but they could not use audio or video clips of the hearings in their reportage.
On October 9, the bench reiterated that there was no question of gagging reporting or restricting live-streaming of court proceedings.
However, it expressed serious concern over the commercial exploitation of courtroom recordings through monetisation, advertisements, personal promotion and misleading representations.
The CJI had observed that the misuse of live-streamed proceedings for commercial gain had caused immense damage to the bar, the bench and the institution as a whole.
Justice Bagchi had also pointed out that some lawyers were using courtroom recordings for personal promotion and professional gain, raising concerns about the principles governing the legal profession.
The court is hearing petitions seeking to prevent the unauthorised extraction and commercial exploitation of videos of judicial proceedings.
