Tue Sep 24 17:38:47 UTC 2024: ## Karnataka High Court Bans Live-Streaming of Proceedings on Social Media Platforms

**Bengaluru, September 24, 2024:** The Karnataka High Court has taken swift action to curb the unauthorized sharing of live-streamed court proceedings on social media platforms. In a landmark order issued on Tuesday, the court temporarily banned YouTube, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), and X (formerly Twitter) from broadcasting live court proceedings.

The court also directed five private YouTube channels – Kahale News, Fans Troll, Prathidhvani, Avaniyana, and Ravindra Joshi Creations – to remove all previously uploaded videos of the court proceedings from their platforms.

This decision comes in response to a petition filed by the Advocates’ Association, Bengaluru (AAB), which argued that the social media platforms and private YouTube channels were editing and sharing snippets of live-streamed proceedings in violation of the Karnataka Rules on Live-Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings, 2021.

The AAB emphasized that this practice of misusing court proceedings for commercial and entertainment purposes is misleading the public and tarnishing the reputation of legal professionals. It also undermines public trust in the judiciary, as selective clips often present a biased and incomplete picture of the legal proceedings.

The High Court’s order underlines the importance of safeguarding the integrity of judicial proceedings and preventing their exploitation for personal gain. The court has issued notices to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the State government, the Registrar-General of the High Court, the social media platforms, and the private YouTube channels to address this issue.

The Karnataka Rules on Live-Streaming and Recording of Court Proceedings, which came into force in September 2021, clearly prohibit the unauthorized recording, sharing, and dissemination of live-streamed proceedings or archival data. The court has emphasized that violation of these rules is a punishable offense.

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