SC to consider administrative side on live-streaming Ayodhya case

New Delhi: Former BJP leader and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue K.N. Govindacharya on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking urgent hearing on plea for live-streaming of the upcoming day-to-day proceedings in the Ayodhya case.

A bench comprising Justices S.A. Bobde and B.R. Gavai, however, refused to pass urgent order on his plea but assured him that the matter will be considered on the administrative side.

The bench, however, refused to give urgent hearing on the matter, saying it would require institutional decision and deliberation.

Appearing for Govindacharya, senior advocate Vikas Singh submitted that as there is a time constraint, and that if live-streaming is difficult, then recording of the proceeding may be taken up while a decision on transmission or live-streaming can be taken up later.

Govindacharya on Saturday moved the Supreme Court seeking live-streaming of the upcoming day-to-day proceedings in the Ayodhya case.

In his plea, Govindacharya has cited the Supreme Court's September 2018 judgement that ruled that SC proceedings must be live-streamed. Gupta said the ruling came on a petition moved by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC).

According to the petition, despite over a year later, the SC ruling was yet to be implemented.

Govindacharya in his petition said: "This case is a matter of national importance. There are crores of persons, including the petitioner, who want to witness the court proceedings, but cannot due to the present norms in the Supreme Court."

He said the people were desperate for early justice in the Ram temple matter as the Lord Ram idol had been kept for years in a makeshift tent in Ayodhya.

"This matter has been pending in the Supreme Court for the last nine years, and the public at large is interested in knowing the reasons behind the delay in deciding the cases," the petitioner said.