Delhi High Court Orders Removal of Video Recording of Arvind Kejriwal's Court Proceedings from Social Media Platforms - 2024-06-17

The Delhi High Court on Saturday directed various social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook (Meta), Instagram, and YouTube, to remove the audio or video recording of court proceedings when Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed the court personally after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged liquor policy scam. A division bench comprising Justices Neena Bansal Krishna and Amit Sharma issued the directive in response to a PIL filed by a Delhi-based lawyer, Vaibhav Singh . The plea alleges that Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal , and other members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and opposition parties intentionally and deliberately recorded the court proceedings and circulated the recordings on social media platforms. The court observed that prima facie the court proceeding recording is violative of Rule 3(vi) of the Delhi High Court Video Conferencing Rules, 2021 and cannot be permitted to remain in the public domain. The bench directed the social media platforms to remove the audio/video recordings forthwith and ensure that they are not re-uploaded on their platforms until further orders. The plea seeks the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate and register an FIR against those who conspired to record and share the audio and video of the court proceedings, alleging that it was a preplanned conspiracy to malign the image of the judiciary and mislead the public. The petition also seeks strict penalties on the individuals found guilty of violating the Video Conferencing Rules and directions to social media platforms to prevent the recurrence of such unauthorized recordings and their subsequent dissemination. The matter will now be heard on July 9, and the court has issued notices to Sunita Kejriwal and other respondents, seeking their replies in the matter.