Live-stream of cases: Top court refers matter to CJI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to issue direction for the framing of rules to facilitate the live-streaming of the top court proceedings involving cases of constitutional and national importance impacting public at large.

Refusing to issue direction for the framing of rules, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said that notwithstanding the 2018 judgment of the top court, the Chief Justice of India had to be left with certain discretion in exercise of his administrative powers.

“Let him take a call. Now there is a provision as per the judgment of this court. Let us leave it to the discretion of the Chief Justice of India,” said Justice Mishra, sitting along with Justice Vineet Saran and Justice M.R. Shah.

On the issue of framing of rules by the top court on its administrative side, the top court told petitioner Indira Jaisinh to pursue the matter with the CJI.

Ms Jaisinh, a senior counsel of the court, said that actual live-streaming of the cases, to start with, involves a pilot project and this can’t happen without the framing of rules.

“If pilot project fails, then there is no need for rules and everything goes,” Justice Mishra speaking for the bench said.  

Backing the efforts by Ms Jaisinh to persuade the court for the issuance of direction to frame rules, attorney-general K.K. Venugopal told the court, “As I see there was a long delay in what has to be done.”