SC seeks AG's assistance in hearing plea on live streaming of court proceedings

The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Centre on a batch of petitions including the one by eminent advocate Indira Jaising seeking directions to allow live streaming of hearings in the top court in important cases by the Constitution bench.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud asked the petitioners, Jaising, advocate Mathews J Nedumpara and law student Swapnil Tripathi, to furnish the copy of their petitions to the central agency.

The court sought assistance of Attorney General K K Venugopal, before posting the matter for further hearing after two weeks.

In her plea, Jaising submitted she just wanted live streaming of cases of national importance by the Constitution bench as being heard presently in matters of Aadhaar, Parsi Women rights, adultry etc.

"There could be a number of ways for doing it," she said.

Advocate Nedumpara read out 1967 judgement by a nine-judge bench to contend that the proceedings should be a public one and open. There should be transparency in the proceedings.

Notably, a separate bench is examining a matter for installing CCTV cameras inside the courtrooms in trial courts and the tribunals for recording judicial proceedings.