The Madhya Pradesh High Court has taken decisive action against the misuse of live-streamed court proceedings, ordering the removal of 102 social media links that circulated distorted versions of courtroom events. The order, issued on Monday, January 12, 2026, gives social media platforms 48 hours to remove clips circulating as memes, reels, and sensationalized videos.
The decision came from a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf, who were hearing a petition raising concerns about the manipulation and misuse of excerpts from open court hearings. The petitioners, advocates Arihant Tiwari and Vidit Shah, along with Dr. Vijay Bajaj of Jabalpur, argued that short videos extracted from live streams were sensationalizing judicial remarks and courtroom exchanges, potentially amounting to contempt of court and eroding the dignity of the institution.
The court's intervention follows earlier proceedings where concerns were raised about the editing, morphing, and misuse of live-streamed content, despite safeguards already in place under the Madhya Pradesh Live Streaming and Recording Rules, 2021. The petitioners highlighted that, despite these rules, short clips of criminal proceedings were being uploaded to platforms like YouTube, violating the regulations. The court had previously directed Meta to identify objectionable content, and the current order follows the submission of a list of 102 links by the petitioners.
Advocate Arihant Tiwari brought to the court's attention that the problematic clips included selective portrayals of judges' exchanges during hearings. One example cited was a video juxtaposing Justice Vivek Agarwal revoking bail after an accused jumped bail with a clip of the accused's daughter pleading in court. Other videos highlighted judges' critical remarks towards advocates regarding non-appearance or lack of preparation.
The High Court has clarified that hearings will still be accessible to the public through an unrestricted Webex link, but recording of the proceedings will not be allowed. Petitioners have requested a move away from open platforms such as YouTube to a secure, Webex-based system overseen by the HC's registrar.
The case is scheduled for further hearing on March 24, 2026. This move by the Madhya Pradesh High Court underscores the judiciary's commitment to maintaining the integrity of court proceedings and preventing the distortion of justice through social media. It also raises important questions about the balance between open access to court proceedings and the need to protect the judicial process from manipulation and misuse.
