audio recording

On 13 February 2014, towards the tail-end of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) short-lived first tenure in charge of Delhi, then-Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti wrote a 15-page letter to his party colleagues.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), set to win Delhi in a landslide election today, has promised to video court proceedings, while running courts in double shifts “if required” to clear backlogs.

Delhi high court Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva has banned advocate Deepak Khosla from filing matters or appearing in a number of Delhi courts by himself without another counsel.

The Supreme Court’s e-committee has rejected the government’s proposal to start recording court proceedings stating that it was not acceptable at present, reported the Times of India, quoting sources, though it did not report further details on the reason.

The government had mooted the proposal in August in an advisory council meeting of the law ministry, held in Delhi. Starting with all 15,000 subordinate courts as a pilot project, it was proposed to move it up to all levels, to increase transparency.

The Delhi High Court Bar Association had also vowed to meet the law ministry at the end of the court’s summer vacations, with the proposal to initiate audio video recording of court proceedings.

Allowing litigants and lawyers to independently record court proceedings has also been a long-running cause pushed by Delhi advocate Deepak Khosla.

Metropolitan Magistrate Ankita Lal today transferred the alleged midnight raid case against former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti to a higher court after being annoyed by defence counsel Deepak Khosla.

The All India Bar Association (AIBA) has has requested the Supreme Court’s secretary general to issue contempt proceedings against Tamil TV news channel, Thanthi, for apparently having broadcast live the arguments of Fali Nariman successfully arguing for J Jayalalithaa’s bail in the Supreme Court, reported the Business Standard.

AIBA chairman Adish C Aggarwala said: “It is inappropriate and contemptuous to record and telecast court proceedings. The telecast of Fali Nariman’s arguments in Jayalalithaa bail matter in the Supreme Court by Thanthi Television on October 18 is contemptuous and the Supreme Court of India should take stern action of contempt of court against all concerned who are responsible for its recording and telecast.”

Also see: Very topical John Oliver on US live Supreme Court TV reporting, via @logic on Twitter

Advocate Deepak Khosla picks a fight with the CLB…