Kochi: Kerala High Court has issued guidelines for journalists reporting court proceedings. Now only persons with a law degree would be able to report. The norms for provisional and regular accreditation say reporters must have a law degree recognised by the Bar Council of India under the Advocate Act. They need five years' regular, continuous, court reporting experience in a daily newspaper immediately prior to the application for accreditation of which at least three and a half years must be at the Kerala High Court or the Supreme Court or any other courts in India.
A law degree is a must for getting provisional accreditation also. The accreditation, whether regular or temporary, shall be liable to be withdrawn by the chief justice without assigning any reason and such shall be final and binding. An accredited legal correspondent, regular or temporary, shall while in court precincts be in a formal dress, in a manner befitting the decorum of the court and shall display his identity card prominently.
