The Bombay High Court is set to begin live-streaming proceedings from five of its benches, Chief Justice Alok Aradhe announced on Tuesday. The move follows a Full Court resolution and aims to boost judicial transparency and public access to court hearings.
The announcement came during a hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Aradhe and Justice Sandeep V Marne, after advocate Mathews J Nedumpara mentioned a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking live-streaming of court proceedings. Advocate Subhash Jha, appearing for Nedumpara, pressed for an urgent hearing, stressing the need for audio-visual infrastructure not just in the High Court but also in subordinate courts.
Jha remarked that such technology was already in use across lower courts in Delhi and added, “It is no rocket science in today’s time.”
Responding to the submissions, Chief Justice Aradhe said, “We have made substantial progress. The Full Court has passed a resolution for the live-streaming of certain courts. Technical arrangements are being made. First five courts will be live.”
The five benches identified for initial live-streaming are Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep V Marne; Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Neela Kedar Gokhale; Justices MS Sonak and Jitendra Shantilal Jain; Justices Ravindra V Ghuge and Milind Sathaye; and Justices Ajey Gadkari and Rajesh Patil.
The initiative is in line with the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment in Swapnil Tripathi v. Supreme Court of India, which endorsed live-streaming as a means to improve transparency in judicial proceedings. Several other High Courts, including Gujarat, Karnataka, and Orissa, have already implemented similar measures.
“I myself am supporting the cause,” the Chief Justice added, assuring that steps are underway to operationalise the project soon.
