'It's Not A Circus': Justice GS Patel On Live Streaming Of Court Proceedings

Justice G.S. Patel of the Bombay High Court said while his courtroom is open to all, the proceedings are not for the entertainment of the people. Justice Patel, who put forth his views as part of a panel discussion in a private function, added he is not opposed to more transparency.

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Expressing strong reservations with regard to the proposals regarding live-streaming of the court proceedings, Justice G.S. Patel of the Bombay High Court said there are certain concerns that may crop up if unregulated live streaming is allowed. Justice Patel, who put forth his views as part of a panel discussion in a private function, added he is not opposed to more transparency.

“It's not a circus, I'm not here to entertain anyone. That's not the point, it becomes entertainment. There are shows in America where you have 'Judge Judy' or whatever... We are not like this... I don't want people tuning in on the Amazon firesticks and saying 'let's see what's happening in Justice Shakdher's courtroom or Justice Patel's courtroom because I have nothing else to do this Monday afternoon',” he said.

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Justice Patel further said while his courtroom is open to all, the proceedings are not for the entertainment of the people.

“You want to follow what's happening in court? My court is open. By all means, make the effort, come to court, I am not asking who you are. Sit there, take notes, listen, no problem,” said Justice Patel. “But I am not here to entertain you. I didn't agree to become an entertainer. That's not my job description,” he added.

Commenting on another issue concerning the possibility of lawyers using the fact that proceedings are being live-streamed to browbeat the judges, Justice Patel observed: “You have no means of stopping this. The moment a judge reacts and sometimes as human beings, we do react, harshly - that will be blown out of proportion.”

“When you say let's do live streaming without any restrictions, you are opening it up unregulated and I am not in favour of that. There is no method we have of making sure these issues are addressed,” he said.

Clarifying he is not opposed to more openness, Justice Patil said: “I am just saying that there is no method that we have figured out to deal with this in a manner that would allow us to still do our work with nuances that our work sometimes demands.”

“Livestreaming should not, at any stage, risk becoming something that is for the idle,” he added

Responding to a question posted during the YouTube Live session, Justice Patel said: “Anything we judges do in the court is in the public domain and is fair reportage, provided it is accurate. The only thing Justice Shakdher and I are saying is, don’t pick up on something that is inaccurate and take it out of proportion or out of context.”

“We are not saying, don’t report. You must, that is your job, that is what the press is there for and it is important that the press does this with the judiciary and keeps the judiciary as part of the process of how democracy is actually functioning,” he added.