Karnataka High Court restrains social media from using live-streamed court proceedings

The court also directed three social media platforms and five private YouTube channels to delete all the live-streamed videos of the court proceedings uploaded on their respective platforms

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday (September 24) temporarily restrained the social media platforms YouTube, META and X (formerly Twitter) from sharing the live-streamed court proceedings with immediate effect and till further order.

The court also restrained five private channels on YouTube — Kahale News, Fans Troll, Prathidhvani, Avaniyana, and Ravindra Joshi Creations — from uploading the live-streamed videos from the High Court’s official YouTube channel.

To be deleted

Meanwhile, the court directed the three social media platforms and the five private YouTube channels to delete with immediate effect all the live-streamed videos of the court proceedings uploaded on their respective platforms in violation of Rule 10 of the Karnataka Rules on Live-Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings, 2021.

Justice Hemant Chandangoudar passed the interim order on a petition filed by the Advocates’ Association, Bengaluru (AAB).

Notice to Union ministry

Meanwhile, the court ordered the issue of notices to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the State government, the Registrar-General of the High Court, the social media platforms, and the private YouTube channels.

The AAB had complained that the social media platforms and the private YouTube channels were editing the videos of live-streamed proceedings of the High Court of Karnataka on its official YouTube channel contrary to the rules, which prohibit it.

New trend

It has been contended in the petition that a new trend of misusing videos of live-streamed court proceedings has become rampant for commercial and entertainment purposes, and the same is not only misleading the general public as small snippets of court proceedings would give partial information to the general public/viewer but the same is falsely projected by miscreants for personal and political gain.

This act of a few video makers is not only tarnishing the reputation of the advocates who are arguing for their clients but also hampering the trust and faith reposed by the public in the judiciary, it has been claimed in the petition.

What the rule says

The rule, which came into force in September 2021, prohibits all, including print and electronic media, social media platforms, including messaging apps, from recording, sharing and disseminating live-streamed proceedings or archival data without the prior written authorisation of the court. The violation of the rule is a punishable offence under various provisions of the law.

Published - September 24, 2024 09:44 pm IST