Sindh High Court bans video recording in court premises

The Sindh High Court has imposed a ban on video recording and photography inside its courtrooms, corridors and waiting areas, according to a circular reported by Express News on Friday. The restriction also extends to Court offices and other parts of the premises.

Only a designated space for journalists is exempt from the order, the circular said. Elsewhere on the premises, recording and photography are no longer allowed.

Violators will face strict action under the law, and their mobile phones and recording equipment will be confiscated, the circular added. UrduPoint also carried the announcement, with a headline saying that strict action would be taken against violators.

The court did not say in the circular what prompted the restriction or how long it would remain in place. No official from the Sindh High Court was immediately available for comment.

The move affects lawyers, litigants and visitors who routinely use mobile phones to film arguments, family members or courtroom scenes. Court reporters in Karachi also record interviews and hearings in corridors and waiting halls, and the only permitted space for them under the new order is the designated press area.

The Sindh High Court, based in Karachi, is the highest court in Sindh and hears cases from across the province. Its corridors and waiting areas are often crowded during hearings, and mobile phone cameras are common. The circular does not say whether the court's own official recording of proceedings continues under the order.

The order applies only within the Sindh High Court building and its adjacent offices, not to the lower courts of Karachi or other districts in Sindh. The ban covers all forms of video recording and still photography, including mobile phone cameras, according to the report.

The express.pk report did not name any official who signed the circular. Skardu Times could not independently obtain a copy of the circular.