SC orders fixing of plea seeking live broadcast of court proceedings

By Sohail Khan
April 25, 2019

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday overruled the objection of the registrar against entertainability of the constitutional petition for live-streaming/broadcast of the Supreme Court proceedings in matters of public importance and ordered it to be fixed for hearing in the court.

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Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed heard the civil miscellaneous appeal filed by Raheel Kamran Sheikh in chamber against order of the registrar Supreme Court dated March 15, 2019 objecting that the petitioner did not approach the alternate forum.

The petitioner contended that the objection was manifestly frivolous and unsustainable and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed in chamber agreed that no other forum except the Supreme Court could hear and decide such a plea of the petitioner.

On April 10, petitioner Raheel Kamran Sheikh had requested the Supreme Court to set aside the order of its registrar office returning a petition seeking live streaming/broadcast of the proceedings of the apex court in all matters of public importance.

He had filed an appeal against the order of the registrar of the apex court dated March 15, 2019, returning his petition for not being maintainable. The petitioner had prayed the apex court to set aside the said order and fix his petition before a duly constituted bench under Rule 7 of Order XXV for adjudication.

In his appeal, the petitioner contended that the aforementioned order of the registrar is legally misconceived, therefore, unsustainable, adding that it is not only erroneous in law but is also against the fundamental principles of justice, equity and good conscience and amounts to usurpation of the original jurisdiction of the apex court to make appropriate orders in cases involving questions of public importance involving violation/enforcement of the fundamental rights of the citizens conferred by Chapter I of Part II of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973.

On March 9, the petitioner had filed a petition in the Supreme Court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, seeking live streaming/broadcast of the proceedings of the apex court in all matters of public importance.

In his petition, Kamran had claimed that live streaming will reduce the congestion in the courtroom and will reduce the need for the litigants to travel to the court to observe the proceedings in their cases. He said that England is not the only country to have allowed live streaming, broadcasting and recording of court proceedings, but Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Northern Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Scotland and South Africa too have allowed the live broadcast of court proceedings.

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