The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the government had done “great work” installing CCTV cameras in courtrooms across the country. Justice AK Goel and Justic UU Lalit said they were satisfied with the progress, after Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand submitted a report on the work, Bar and Bench reported.
In March 2017, the Supreme Court had agreed to let the government install CCTV cameras in courtrooms, but without audio recording. The Law Ministry had been urging the top judicial body to consider recording court proceedings for better transparency and case management since August 2013. To begin with, the bench had directed all 24 High Courts in India to oversee the installation in at least two districts in each state and Union Territory.
At the hearing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court asked High Courts and states to examine whether CCTV cameras could be installed in state tribunals and quasi-judicial bodies. It also asked High Courts to look into the concerns Amicus Curiae Sidharth Luthra raised, which include ones regarding the identity of victims and protected witnesses and leaks of CCTV camera footage.
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