Delhi HC begins live streaming of court proceedings on YouTube

Other high courts in Karnataka, Gujarat and Odisha have been live streaming their proceedings for over a year now.

The Delhi High Court, on October 11, commenced the live streaming of proceedings from inside the court on YouTube at 10:30am, presided by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, in a bid to provide wider access to the public to the Indian judicial system.

A communication issued by the high court states that the streaming link will be available on its official website.

"In pursuit of greater access to justice, the High Court of Delhi is going to start the live streaming of court proceedings on October 11, 2023, at 10:30 am in Court No. 1 (comprising Hon'ble Mr. Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, the Chief Justice, and Hon'ble Mr. Justice Sanjeev Narula) in an identified matter," the note said, according to PTI.

The live streaming of court proceedings will be conducted on a case-to-case basis now.

Other high courts in Karnataka, Gujarat, and Odisha have been live streaming their proceedings for over a year now.

The Delhi High Court's move comes after the Supreme Court started live streaming its constitutional bench proceedings on YouTube in September 2022.

Last week, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud came down heavily on tribunals and high courts that did not allow lawyers and litigants to appear virtually. The CJI noted that judges have to adapt to technology and they do not have a choice. While the Delhi HC has been allowing virtual hearings since the pandemic, this is the first time it will be live streaming court proceedings.

According to the PTI report, all proceedings will be live streamed by the court, excluding matrimonial matters, child adoption, and child custody; cases concerning sexual offences and gender-based violence against women; as well as matters registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.

Several other categories of cases have also been excluded from being live-streamed.