The Central Government has opposed the demand for live telecast of the hearing of petitions related to recognition of same-sex marriage in the Delhi High Court. The government has filed an affidavit saying that it is neither an issue of national importance nor does it involve violation of fundamental rights. As such, the hearing cannot be telecast live.
The government told the High Court that the “majority of the country’s population is not very much affected by the present case and its court proceedings”. The judicial system does not affect the number of people who watch court proceedings or subscribe to the YouTube channel for this.
The government told the court that live telecast of court proceedings could not be compared with other countries. The government has filed an application in the court by software engineer Akhilesh Godi, Dr. Prasad Raj Dandekar of Mumbai and MBA Shripad Ranade, demanding live telecast of the hearing on the demand for recognition of same-sex marriage. The government said that live telecast of proceedings cannot be a part of social outreach justice system.
Need to take decisions based on facts, law
The Central Government said that there have been many cases of national importance in the Constitutional Courts where live telecast of proceedings has not been requested or permitted. The government said, every case that comes before the court is important and live telecast of every case is not possible. Court needs to decide on the basis of facts and law, not to seek or attract public attention.