HC: Can Assembly Speaker be directed to livestream proceedings?
The petitioner also charged that the State government was telecasting the proceedings in a biased manner by editing out portions and telecasting bits and pieces that it wants to narrate.
Madras High Court
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has adjourned petitions to November 10 to decide whether the Assembly Speaker can be directed to livestream the proceedings without any interruptions.
DMDK founder Vijayakant and one D Jagadheeswaran of Chennai had filed separate petitions seeking live telecast or webcast of Assembly proceedings.
When the plea came up before the first divisional bench comprising Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy, the counsel argued that if the proceedings of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha could be live-streamed, why could it not be done in the case of State Assembly.
It was further contended that the Union government was giving funds to National e-Vidhan to webcast Assembly proceedings.
The petitioner also charged that the State government was telecasting the proceedings in a biased manner by editing out portions and telecasting bits and pieces that it wants to narrate.
Responding to this, Advocate General (AG) R Shunmugasundaram said the government was already telecasting the portions of Assembly proceedings that were approved by the Speaker. He added that it was not possible to livestream full proceedings at this stage.
The bench then adjourned the case to November 10 to first decide if the court issue direction to the Speaker in this matter.