In a significant move, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has imposed a temporary stay on the unauthorized uploading, editing, sharing, and morphing of live-streamed court proceeding videos on various social media platforms. This decision came after Dr. Vijay Bajaj, a businessman from Damoh, filed a petition highlighting the rampant misuse of digital content related to court sessions.
On Monday, a division bench consisting of Chief Justice SK Kait and Justice Vivek Jain addressed the concerns raised in the petition, which accused multiple individuals of flouting the Madhya Pradesh High Court Live Streaming Rules by unlawfully manipulating and disseminating videos. This unauthorized activity not only undermines the integrity of judicial proceedings but also infringes on copyright laws exclusively held by the High Court.
In response to the petition, the court also issued notices to both the Union and state governments, along with the High Court’s registrar general, demanding stringent measures to curb the proliferation of such content and to remove existing illegal uploads from platforms like Meta (formerly Facebook), YouTube, and Twitter.
Counsel for the petitioner, Utkarsh Agrawal, informed that the court is considering directives that would compel the recovery of earnings generated from the viewership of these illicit videos. “These platforms have seen a substantial viewership through the illegal sharing and uploading of court proceeding videos. Our petition seeks restitution of the revenue accrued from such activities,” Agrawal explained.
