Supreme Court Prohibits Unauthorised Sharing Of Court Hearing Recordings
Court restricts unauthorised hearing recording uploads
The Supreme Court on Friday issued an interim order prohibiting the extraction, modification, dissemination, posting or uploading of audio and video recordings of court proceedings on social media and other digital platforms without prior permission from the concerned court authorities. The order aims to regulate the circulation of judicial proceedings while clarifying that it does not affect news reporting based on court hearings.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed that no audio or video recordings of judicial proceedings may be extracted, reposted, uploaded or monetised without prior approval from the Registrar General of the concerned High Court or the Secretary General of the Supreme Court. The court said the restriction would remain in force as an interim measure while it considers a public interest litigation seeking safeguards on the livestreaming and circulation of court proceedings.
The interim order stated: "There shall be no extraction, modification, dissemination, posting, re-posting, uploading or monetisation of audio/video recordings of the judicial proceedings on social media or other digital platforms without the prior permission of the Registrar General of the concerned High Courts or the Secretary General of the Supreme Court."
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The Supreme Court, however, made it clear that the direction does not restrict or interfere with news reporting of court proceedings. Journalists and media organisations may continue reporting on hearings in accordance with existing legal and ethical standards. The clarification was issued to distinguish between factual reporting of judicial proceedings and the unauthorised circulation of official audio or video recordings.
The order came during the hearing of a public interest litigation seeking restrictions on the misuse of livestreamed court proceedings. During the hearing, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh said he had no objection to livestreaming itself but expressed concern over selective clips being extracted from proceedings and widely circulated on social media. He argued that such edited content could distort the context of hearings and undermine the dignity of judicial institutions.
Referring to an earlier hearing before Justice K.V. Viswanathan, Singh submitted that the circulation of short video clips had reduced serious judicial proceedings to a "joke." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta supported the submissions, agreeing that unrestricted sharing and editing of court recordings could adversely affect the administration of justice and public perception of the judiciary.
The Supreme Court has increasingly embraced technology in recent years by introducing livestreaming of Constitution Bench proceedings and making several hearings accessible to the public. The initiative has been viewed as an important step towards improving transparency and public access to the judicial process. However, concerns have also emerged over the misuse of recordings through edited clips, misleading commentary and monetised content on digital platforms.
The interim order seeks to strike a balance between judicial transparency and protecting the integrity of court proceedings. By requiring prior permission before recordings are shared or modified, the court aims to prevent misuse while allowing authorised dissemination where appropriate. The matter will continue to be heard as the Supreme Court considers broader guidelines governing the livestreaming and use of recordings of judicial proceedings.
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