Supreme Court asks Centre to take measures against online misuse of court feeds

The Supreme Court on Friday (October 30, 2026) asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to formulate measures against the commercial exploitation of live-streamed judicial proceedings in violation of earlier court orders.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant recorded Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s submission that suggestions from various High Courts and other stakeholders had already been received and forwarded to the Ministry.

Mr. Mehta submitted that the Ministry would consider the suggestions and respond in a few days. He sought listing of the plea for further consideration after the Deepavali vacation.

He also flagged violations of earlier orders and urged the court to consider directing the removal of material uploaded in breach of its restrictions.

The court had recently passed orders banning the unauthorised use and circulation of live-streamed judicial proceedings on social media and digital platforms, saying that anything meant for the public good cannot be exploited commercially for personal gain.

“Necessary measures for taking action against those who fail to comply with the directions will also be incorporated in the policy regime,” the court observed.  

Watermark suggestion

Advocate Prashant Bhushan suggested that every official clip released by the court should carry a verifiable digital signature or watermark, enabling the public and digital platforms to distinguish genuine footage from manipulated versions.

He further suggested that all court proceedings should be made available on the Supreme Court’s website in an authenticated and watermarked format.

The court is examining the issue amid concerns over the unauthorised extraction, modification, circulation, and commercial use of video clips of judicial proceedings, often accompanied by misleading captions or representations.