In order to make court proceedings more transparent, Supreme Court has directed installation of CCTV cameras in minimum of two districts of every state and union territories.
SC has given three month’s time for installing of cameras in the courts, however, the apex court has also ordered that there will be no audio recording of these proceedings.
A bench of Justices Adarsh K Goel and Uday U Lalit on March 28 ordered that 24 high courts across the country should install cameras in atleast two districts in every state and union territories.
Also, the apex court has prohibited general public, lawyers and litigants to have access of these recording through Right to Information(RTI) act. In order to get recording, permission of high court will be required.
As per a report published in Indian Express, the bench said, “We direct that at least in two districts in every state/union territory (with the exception of small states/union territories where it may be considered to be difficult to do so by the concerned high courts) CCTV cameras (without audio recording) may be installed inside the courts and at such important locations of the court complexes as may be considered appropriate.”
Few days back, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had written to Chief Justice of India J S Khehar, in which he requested CJI to consider installing of cameras in some district courts in order to have audio-video recording of the court proceedings.
The decision came after a man, going through a matrimonial dispute filed a petition in which he asked for audio-video recording of the proceedings. He even offered to pay for installing of cameras.
