Contempt Action Against Advocate for Recording Court Proceedings and Circulating on Whatsapp

The Kerala High Court has taken serious exception to Advocate Mathews Nedumpura’s act of recording and circulating court proceedings via WhatsApp, stating that it prima facie amounts to contempt of court.

Court ruled that lawyers do not have right to record proceedings and cited the Electronic Video Linkage Rules for Courts (Kerala), 2021, which explicitly prohibit such actions.

The court directed the Registry to place the matter before the Chief Justice for further consideration.

Advocate argued that transparency in judicial proceedings justified his actions, it is his 'right' to record the proceedings of this Court, but the court dismissed this claim, emphasizing that such conduct interferes with the administration of justice.