New Delhi : Putting aside the judiciary's traditional conservatism in interacting with litigants, the Supreme Court on Monday declared its willingness to experiment with live telecast of its hearings and initiated the process for framing of guidelines.
After rejecting the idea of live streaming of its proceedings several times, a bench of CJI Dipak Misra and Justice D Y Chandrachud surprised many when it said, " Conceptually we are an open court. Any one can come and watch open hearings. The litigants are entitled to
know how their lawyers dealt with the cases even when they are physically not present in the court room. The need of the hour is prompt thinking on this issue.
The bench asked attorney general K K Venugopal, who wholeheartedly supported petitioner Indira Jaising's plea for live streaming of court proceedings, to frame draft guidelines and submit it to the court. It also sought Jaising's suggestions and posted the matter for further hearing on July 23.
During CJI Misra's tenure, the SC's traditional restrictive regime for journalists underwent a welcome change as scribes were permitted to carry mobile phones inside courtroom for instant news flashes and tweeting. Monday's decision to experiment with live telecast of hearings, which the AG suggested could start with the CJI's courtroom and in one or two other courtrooms, will be a giant step towards transparency, which has been a much touted word seldom practiced in the SC.
Venugopal opened the arguments on a positive note and lent support to live telecast. " My perception is that a number of benefits will follow. People from far flung areas like Kerala and northeastern states will not be required to be present in the courtroom to know how their lawyers presented the case. Live streaming will encourage discipline among advocates who will hesitate to raise their voices and gesticulate during arguments. It will help reduce crowds inside
courts, which get packed with lawyers and visitors," he said.
" After experimenting with live streaming of hearings in the CJI's courtroom and one or two other courtrooms, the experiment can be repeated in other courtrooms," Venugopal added.
( The Times of India, Chennai, Tuesday, July 10, 2018 )
Courtesy : MPS
No comments:
Post a Comment