New Delhi, July 25 -- The Supreme Court on Friday restrained the extraction, editing, dissemination, reposting, uploading and monetisation of audio and video recordings of judicial proceedings on social media and other digital platforms without prior permission from the concerned court registrars, observing that courts cannot become a "24/7 entertainment channel" and that access to virtual hearings requires regulation and a careful balancing of transparency with the administration of justice. A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, passed the interim order while issuing notice on a public interest litigation seeking safeguards against the misuse of livestreamed court proceedings through selective clipping, sensationalised circulation and commercial exploitation on digital platforms. "As an interim measure, it is directed that there shall be no extraction, modification, monetisation, posting, reposting or uploading of audio-video recordings of judicial proceedings on social media or other platforms without permission of the secretary general of the Supreme Court or the registrar general of the jurisdictional high courts," directed the bench. The court ordered that the secretary general of the Supreme Court and the registrars general of all high courts display the interim direction prominently on their official websites for public information. It clarified that the embargo will not apply to news reporting of court proceedings. The interim order came on a petition filed by journalist Harshita Grover, who sought formulation of guidelines regulating the clipping, editing, redistribution and monetisation of audiovisual recordings of court proceedings. The plea contended that while livestreaming was introduced to further the principles of open justice and transparency, the absence of safeguards had enabled courtroom exchanges to be taken out of context. During the hearing, senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the petitioner, clarified that the challenge was the rampant misuse of edited clips on social media....