Supreme Court orders muting of livestream audio during mentioning of fresh cases

NEW DELHI, Jul 29: In a significant change to its virtual court proceedings, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the audio of its live video conferencing feed be switched off during the mentioning of fresh matters before the Chief Justice of India (CJI), restricting lawyers, the media and the public from hearing requests for urgent case listings and the court’s oral responses.

The direction follows the Chief Justice’s recent observation that the mentioning of urgent matters is an administrative exercise rather than a judicial proceeding and should not be reported. While the live video feed will continue, the oral exchanges during fresh mentions will no longer be audible.

The practice of mentioning enables lawyers to seek urgent listing of cases requiring immediate judicial intervention. It has frequently been used for high-profile public interest litigations, politically sensitive disputes and matters involving constitutional significance.

During the process, the Chief Justice decides whether a case warrants urgent listing and may make brief oral observations while fixing a hearing date or declining immediate listing. In recent months, several politically important matters were mentioned before the CJI, with the court’s remarks during these exchanges receiving widespread media attention even before formal hearings began.

By disabling the audio feed, the apex court has effectively limited public access to this administrative stage while retaining the video broadcast. The move is expected to prevent the reporting and broader dissemination of oral exchanges made during the listing process.

The decision marks a notable shift in the Supreme Court’s functioning, reinforcing the distinction between judicial proceedings and the administrative exercise of deciding whether a case deserves urgent listing. (Agencies)