The Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur has temporarily stopped the live streaming of all criminal case hearings after a petitioner flagged rampant misuse of court proceedings on social media platforms. The order came on September 12, 2025, in WP No. 36619 of 2025, Arihant Tiwari and Others vs. Union of India and Others.
Background
The petitioner, Arihant Tiwari, appeared in person before Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf. He raised concerns that video clips from the live-streamed hearings were being "chopped into reels, memes, and derogatory content" that mocked lawyers and judges.
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Tiwari pointed out that this was happening despite a clear order passed earlier in W.P. No. 30572 of 2024 (Dr. Vijay Bajaj vs. Union of India and Others), which had explicitly barred Meta, YouTube, Twitter, and other platforms - along with individuals and agencies - from altering or illegally sharing courtroom streaming content. That order was grounded in Rule 11(b) of the Madhya Pradesh Live Streaming and Recording Rules, 2021, which prohibits unauthorized editing or circulation of such material.
Court's Observations
The bench appeared visibly concerned about the petitioner’s submissions. "Despite an earlier restraint order, these violations continue unabated," the petitioner stressed, adding that even sensitive criminal proceedings were being turned into short clips and circulated on YouTube.
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The judges noted the seriousness of the allegations and took the step of issuing notices to respondents, including the Union of India, digital platforms, and other entities. Counsel for the Union of India, Shri S.M. Guru (Deputy Solicitor General), and advocates for respondents no. 2 and 3, accepted the notice in court.
Decision
Until the next date of hearing, the court has ordered the Registry to stop live streaming of all criminal matters across benches starting from September 15, 2025. At the same time, to balance transparency with control, the court directed that Webex links for hearings must remain available on the official website for public viewing. However, the Registry was instructed to disable any recording option on these Webex streams.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 25, 2025, alongside the connected case of Dr. Vijay Bajaj.
Case TItle:- Arihant Tiwari and Others vs. Union of India and Others
Case No.:- WP No. 36619 of 2025
