Updated: October 26, 2020 5:06:47 pm
A view of the Gujarat High Court. (File photo)
The Gujarat High Court on Monday began live streaming the court proceedings, from the first court comprising the division bank led by the Chief Justice, on YouTube on an experimental basis.
In a press release issued by the Registrar General on Monday, it was explained that Chief Justice Vikram Nath approved an order for the same on Monday. “With a view to specifying and expanding the implementation of the Open Court concept even during the virtual hearings of the Court, this High Court has already assumed in the administrative aspect, elaborating the modalities that can be adopted to give access to whoever wishes to see the judicial process live. They are deliberating on the aspect of ensuring the smooth operation of the banks and virtual listening without distractions while opening said access, ”the statement said.
It is as part of this process that, for the time being, courtroom proceedings will be broadcast live on an experimental basis. Whether to continue or adapt this mode of live streaming will be decided based on the outcome of this experiment.
The modality has been guided mainly by the direction of the Supreme Court in a 2017 public interest litigation for live streaming court proceedings. HC’s decision also came at the behest of a public interest litigation filed by a law student from the Law Institute of the University of Nirma, in which the student-petitioner had prayed for public access to the hearing in light of the legal proceedings that had been presented to the virtual media.
The petitioner had also highlighted some approaches adapted by other superior courts across the country to make court hearings accessible to mediators and litigating parties. In July, the Gujarat HC got rid of the PIL, noting that a committee of two judges has been formed to study such modalities and that the same is in process, and a report on their feasibility is expected in the “near future”.
The Gujarat HC has been operating through the virtual medium since March 24, after the physical facilities were closed, keeping in mind the safety of all stakeholders in light of the COVID-19 outbreak in Gujarat. The first day of the live broadcast saw 1,500 viewers flock to the YouTube channel. Accessible to all, this would be the first instance in which anyone can directly see the legal proceedings.
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