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Supreme Court bench of Justices Adarsh K Goel, Uday U Lalit made the observation while clarifying that its order about installation of CCTV cameras in court rooms and court premises was not for the purpose of recording the proceedings.
Supreme Court at the debate on live streaming of judicial proceedings gathers momentum, the Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that proceedings may be open to all those present in the court but may not be open to even those who are not present.
Supreme Court made the observation while clarifying that its order about installation of CCTV cameras in court rooms and court premises was not for the purpose of recording the proceedings.
Bench emphasised that the last year order for installation of CCTV cameras in courts and tribunals across the country was not meant for recording the proceedings.
Supreme Court bench,”Our purpose is three-fold: discipline, security and oversight. Safety and security is most important. New technology is being utilised everywhere and we also thought it should be used to ensure safety; to see discipline is maintained and then corrective steps can be taken by the High Court concerned,”.
The judges cited the nine-year-old 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai when Ajmal Kasab’s images were captured by the CCTV cameras at a local train station. “These images proved useful during trial too. After the attacks, all five-star hotels have also installed CCTV cameras in their lobbies and common areas. CCTV footages have immense utility,” said Justice Lalit.
“We have concentrated on the use of technology for better administration of courts. We have been flexible enough to give enough rooms to the high courts so that they can make necessary changes to implement the orders. They can also address all legitimate concerns about privacy, protected witnesses etc,” the bench told Luthra.