A significant breach in cybersecurity was reported on Monday at the Calcutta High Court when an obscene video interrupted the live-stream of courtroom proceedings. The incident occurred in courtroom number 7 during a session presided over by Justice Subhendu Samanta, which was being broadcast on YouTube as part of the court’s initiative to make judicial processes more transparent to the public.
The offensive video appeared on the live stream for approximately one minute before the court’s IT staff managed to remove it. Following this disruption, the live-stream was promptly halted and later resumed under a new link to prevent further issues.
This hacking incident comes during the court’s vacation period when fewer IT personnel are on duty, challenging their ability to respond swiftly. The IT cell of the court, taken aback by this unprecedented breach, has since initiated a thorough investigation and lodged a formal complaint with Kolkata Police’s cyber crime department.
This is not the first instance of cyber-attacks on judicial systems in India. Several high courts have experienced similar disruptions in their live-streaming services. Notably, in September 2024, the Supreme Court’s YouTube channel was compromised, leading to unauthorized promotions of a cryptocurrency by hackers who replaced official court content with promotional videos.
The Supreme Court had previously decided to live-stream all constitution bench hearings, a move that followed the landmark 2018 ruling in Swapnil Tripathi vs. Supreme Court of India. This ruling endorsed the live-streaming of court proceedings involving cases of national and constitutional significance to enhance transparency and public trust in the judiciary. The first such live-streamed case was related to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota in 2022.
Authorities are currently examining the security protocols of the digital platforms used for live-streaming to prevent future breaches and ensure that the judiciary’s move towards greater transparency is not undermined by such cyber threats.
