This initiative for Open Justice and Judicial Transparency is led by Sr. Adv. Mathews J. Nedumpara and Supporters of Transparency as part of continuing advocacy for greater openness, transparency, accountability in the administration of justice and judiciary.

We, the citizens of India, hereby demand for greater openness, accessibility, transparency and accountability in the administration of justice as well as the judiciary.

Courts administer justice in accordance with the law, as they are public institutions with public servants in the courts to serve the people of the Republic.

For generations, the principle of an Open Court is an unwritten norm, which has enabled citizens, journalists, lawyers, students and members of the public to observe and understand the administration of justice and the proceedings in the courts.

Technology should strengthen this principle — not weaken it at all ! In fact, with technology, public can judge both the courts and the judges. And, with video recordings remaining online, even future generations can judge the present proceedings.

As Indian courts increasingly embrace virtual hearings, livestreaming and digital systems, proceedings that are legally open to the public should remain meaningfully accessible to the public, subject to legitimate safeguards concerning privacy, safety, confidentiality of in-camera proceedings.

We, therefore, hereby DEMAND to the Judiciary of India and to the government of India through the Law Ministry, to establish and strengthen clear, uniform and transparent principles and norms governing public access to open-court proceedings in the present digital age, including their viewing, reporting, recording, preservation and legitimate dissemination.

We therefore DEMAND the following :

• Live-streaming of proceedings of all High Courts and the Supreme Court of India, except proceedings that are required to be excluded as per the principles laid down in Swapnil Tripathi v. Supreme Court of India verdict.
• Video recording of all proceedings before the High Courts and the Supreme Court of India, including proceedings that are not live-streamed (as per Swapnil Tripathi v. Supreme Court of India).
• Permanent public access to recordings of all proceedings that are eligible for live-streaming, by preserving such recordings and making them continuously accessible online through official court platforms, and any open public platforms like YouTube (not requiring Log-in).
• Access for the parties concerned to recordings of proceedings that are not available for public live-streaming, subject to appropriate safeguards.

Judicial Independence and Judicial Transparency are not opposing principles. Transparency and Accountability through live-streaming and video-recordings remaining permanently online will bring greater transparency, accountability and strengthen Judicial Independence weeding out those who strike at the roots of Judicial Independence and basic structure of the Democracy.

Open Justice strengthens Judicial Independence.
Transparency strengthens Public Confidence.
Accessibility strengthens Democracy.

Open Justice is not a privilege of lawyers. It is a principle that belongs to every citizen of every Republic claiming to be a Democracy.

Add your name. Stand for Open Justice.

#OpenJusticeIndia

Online Campaign launched by Vipar