Karnataka High Court begins live streaming of proceedings on YouTube

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By LE Desk

Bengaluru, May 31: The Karnataka High Court has begun live-streaming court proceedings on a trial basis. The first live-stream was made available on the Karnataka High Court’s official YouTube page on Monday, May 31. 

The first hearing to be live-streamed was from Court Hall number one, where a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Suraj Govindaraj was seated. “Today at 2:40 pm, the Live Telecast of Proceedings in WP 1322/2020 (PIL) Connected with WP 2336/2020 in Court Hall-1 would be telecast Live on Youtube,” the High Court said, as reported by The News Minute.

The bench was hearing final proceedings in two PIL petitions — one filed by Baithkol Bandaru Nirashritara Yantrika Dhoni Meenugarara Sahakara Sangha, an organisation opposing land acquisitions, and one by the Uttara Kannada District Fishermen Association.

The Allahabad High Court and the Madhya Pradesh High Court are also set to hear pleas by journalists who have asked permission for the live-streaming and live-reporting of proceedings. Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases and the subsequent lockdown imposed by the Karnataka government, the High Court of Karnataka had issued guidelines to hold hearings only through video-conference. This was implemented not only in its principal bench but also in all trial courts in districts and taluks. With the courts going virtual, the Karnataka High Court has decided to try out live streaming on a trial basis. 

Since March last year, the Supreme Court as well as High Courts have been holding courts through video conferencing after the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread COVID-19 was first imposed. During the lockdown, the benches usually assembled at the residences of the judges and the lawyers were allowed to join the video-conferencing from their homes or offices.

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/karnataka-high-court-begins-live-streaming-proceedings-youtube-149834

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