Supreme Court Clarifies Media Reporting Guidelines
The Supreme Court has recently reiterated that its interim order regarding the handling of audio and video recordings of court proceedings does not hinder recognized news agencies from reporting on hearings. While the order restricts the extraction and distribution of such recordings without prior authorization, it does not impede the media’s ability to inform the public about legal developments and judicial decisions.
Clarification by the Bench
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, addressed the ambiguity surrounding this directive in a July 31 ruling. The Court emphasized that the order should not be interpreted as a blanket ban on courtroom reporting by accredited media outlets. The Bench stated, “The order is not to be construed as imposing a blanket prohibition on the reporting of court proceedings by recognised news outlets. Such outlets may, therefore, continue to report on the proceedings and inform the general public of legal developments and judicial pronouncements, save that audio or video clips of the court proceedings shall not be utilised in the course of such reportage.”
Compliance with Interim Orders
Despite this clarification, the Court underlined that recognized news outlets must adhere to the restrictions established by its earlier interim order. This refers to the Court’s July 24 directive, which prohibited the extraction, dissemination, monetization, posting, reposting, uploading, transmission, modification, storage, and hosting of audio-video recordings of judicial proceedings on social media and other digital platforms without prior approval.
To obtain such permission, requests must be submitted to the Secretary General of the Supreme Court or the Registrar General of the respective High Court. The Court had explicitly stated in its interim order that media reporting of court proceedings would remain unaffected, emphasizing, “It is clarified that this order shall have no bearing on the reporting of Court proceedings by recognized news outlets.”
Further Developments
The Supreme Court has also instructed the Union government to present a proposal, created in collaboration with relevant ministries, addressing the demands made in the petition. Additionally, all High Courts were asked to submit status reports on the implementation of the Model Rules for Live Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings, and to assess the feasibility of ongoing live streaming. The case is scheduled for another hearing on September 18.
