Supreme Court mutes livestream audio during oral mentioning proceedings

The principle of open justice — that courts must conduct proceedings in public — is a foundational norm of common law systems inherited by India. The Supreme Court of India has itself recognised that open proceedings are integral to judicial accountability and public trust. Article 145 of the Constitution empowers the Supreme Court to make rules for regulating its own practice and procedure, including rules governing how proceedings are conducted and recorded. Separately, Article 21, as interpreted through decades of jurisprudence, encompasses the right to access justice as part of the right to life and personal liberty.

The Supreme Court formally introduced court livestreaming following its landmark ruling in Swapnil Tripathi v. Supreme Court of India (2018), where a Constitution Bench held that livestreaming of court proceedings serves the constitutional value of open justice and advances public accountability. The Court directed that proceedings of constitutional importance be broadcast. This was a significant institutional step: for the first time, the apex court acknowledged that the public's right to witness judicial proceedings extends beyond physical presence in the courtroom. The initiative was operationalised in phases, beginning with Constitution Bench hearings, and has since expanded.