The Bar Council of India (BCI) has directed all State Bar Councils to immediately publish and widely circulate the Supreme Court’s interim order prohibiting the unauthorised extraction, dissemination, monetisation and circulation of audio and video recordings of judicial proceedings on social media and other digital platforms. The direction follows the Supreme Court’s order dated July 24, 2026 in Harshita Grover v. Union of India and Others and seeks to ensure uniform implementation of the Court’s directions across the country.
In a circular dated July 28, 2026, BCI Principal Secretary Srimanto Sen informed all State Bar Councils that the Supreme Court’s order must be published together with the BCI’s earlier circular on social media conduct, digital ethics and the unauthorised use of recordings of judicial proceedings, as well as the implementation directions issued on July 17, 2026.
Supreme Court Bars Unauthorised Use of Court Recordings
The circular notes that the Supreme Court, as an interim measure in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 751 of 2026, directed that no person shall extract, disseminate, monetise, post, repost, upload, transmit, modify, store or host audio or video recordings of judicial proceedings on any social media or digital platform without prior permission from the Secretary General of the Supreme Court or the Registrar General of the concerned High Court. The Court also directed that its order be uploaded on the websites of the Supreme Court and all High Courts for public information.
BCI Says Earlier Circular Already Addressed the Issue
According to the BCI, its circular issued on July 17 had already addressed concerns over the misuse of live-streamed court proceedings. The circular clarified that live streaming is intended to promote transparency and public legal education and cannot be treated as a licence to extract, clip, edit, sensationalise, monetise, mock, distort or circulate portions of judicial proceedings using disparaging captions, music, thumbnails, memes or commentary. It also reiterated that reproduction, transmission, uploading, publication or republication of live-streamed proceedings requires prior written authorisation from the concerned court.
The BCI stated that the Supreme Court’s subsequent order reinforces the principles already laid down in its earlier circular and that both documents should be read together to provide advocates and other stakeholders with the complete legal and professional framework governing digital ethics and the use of recordings of judicial proceedings.
State Bar Councils Asked to Ensure Wide Publicity
The circular directs every State Bar Council to prominently display on the homepage of its official website three documents together:
- The Supreme Court’s order dated July 24, 2026.
- The BCI circular dated July 17, 2026.
- The BCI’s implementation directions dated July 17, 2026.
These documents are to be placed under a clearly visible heading relating to the prohibition on unauthorised use and circulation of recordings of judicial proceedings and obligations concerning digital ethics and social media conduct. The BCI emphasised that the documents should remain prominently accessible and should not be relegated to archived or internal circular sections.
Directions Extend to Bar Associations and Advocates
The BCI has further instructed State Bar Councils to immediately forward the Supreme Court’s order and the BCI circulars to every recognised Bar Association within their jurisdiction. Bar Associations have been asked to display the documents prominently on their websites and notice boards and circulate them among their members through official communication channels.
The circular also reminds State Bar Councils that the implementation directions issued on July 17 already require individual circulation of the BCI circular to every advocate enrolled on the State roll and every recognised Bar Association. Merely publishing the circular on a State Bar Council’s website would not amount to complete compliance unless reasonable steps are taken to bring it to the notice of every enrolled advocate and Bar Association. The same standard of circulation must now be followed for the Supreme Court’s order, with both documents being circulated together.
Compliance Report Within Three Working Days
The BCI has asked every State Bar Council to submit a compliance report within three working days of receiving the communication. The report must include the website link where the documents have been published and confirmation that they have been circulated to all enrolled advocates and recognised Bar Associations. The circular states that the matter should be treated as urgent and requires immediate compliance.
