No Supreme Court Live Stream In Hearings For Those Without Legal Counsel

The Supreme Court has announced a series of major administrative measures aimed at preserving courtroom decorum, strengthening security, and accelerating the disposal of pending cases.

Under the new policy, litigants appearing as party-in-person - those representing themselves without legal counsel - will generally be encouraged to participate in court proceedings through virtual hearings.

However, if a party-in-person insists on appearing before the court in person, the proceedings will not be live-streamed or video-recorded. The court said the move is intended to maintain the dignity of judicial proceedings and prevent disruptive incidents from receiving unnecessary public attention.

The decision was taken during a full court meeting of all Supreme Court judges on Wednesday and was announced through an official statement on Thursday.

The move comes in the wake of a courtroom incident on July 10, during which a petitioner allegedly threw papers, used abusive language and disrupted judicial proceedings. Two law students were also arrested over an alleged altercation with security personnel in connection with the incident.

In a separate effort to reduce case backlogs, the full court decided to identify around 100 batch matters that are ready for final hearing. Their disposal is expected to facilitate the resolution of nearly 9,177 pending cases. The oldest pending matters, where notices have already been issued, will be listed for hearing every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday under a special roster.

The court also resolved to constitute a committee of judges to simplify the daily cause list and will continue the practice of requiring lawyers to indicate the time needed for oral arguments in final hearings to improve case management.

Additionally, all Supreme Court judges will participate in the "Samadhan Samaroh" and a Special Lok Adalat from August 21 to 23 to promote the amicable settlement of disputes.