The Supreme Court clarified that aggrieved individuals can request the removal of unauthorized court proceeding clips from social media under the Information Technology Act.
Reader brief
Through the Reader lens: The Supreme Court clarified that people affected by unauthorised uploads of court proceeding clips on social media can approach authorities under the IT Act to seek takedown of such content. The clarification came while hearing an advocate's petition after his arguments before a Supreme Court bench on July 1 went viral, which he said violated his rights to life, liberty, dignity and privacy. The court, which had on July 24 banned uploading or sharing of court hearing clips without prior approval from the Supreme Court or high courts, advised the advocate to use Section 69A of the IT Act or send legal notices to platforms. The CJI warned that selectively editing clips or adding narratives to convey a different meaning would be viewed very seriously and could amount to contempt of court.
What to watch next
- Whether the advocate secures takedown of the viral clips through the IT Act route or returns to the Supreme Court if platforms do not respond.
- Whether social media platforms act on takedown requests for court proceeding clips following this clarification.
- Whether the court takes contempt action against accounts that edit or add commentary to livestreamed proceedings.
What was said1
Attributed, verbatim. Every quote is checked against the article it came from. One that does not match is not shown.
Surya Kant
1 quote“If someone adds something to what the court observed or presents the proceedings in such a manner to generate controversy, we will take a very serious view of such acts”
In the article
…used footage from livestreaming of court proceedings and either added a narrative or exhibited clips selectively to convey a different meaning, it would be viewed very seriously and may amount to contempt of court. " If someone adds something to what the court observed or presents the proceedings in such a manner to generate controversy, we will take a very serious view of such acts ," the CJI said.The bench advised the lawyer to move the authorities under Section 69A of the IT Act or directly send a legal notice to digital and social media platforms to take down the offensive content. If the…
Sources1
- [1]The Times of IndianeutralAggrieved party can seek deletion of court clips on socials: SC