Supreme Court Orders High Courts to Provide Access to Video Conferencing and Hybrid Hearings

Supreme Court Orders High Courts to Provide Access to Video Conferencing and Hybrid Hearings

VoM News Desk | October 6, 2023 | 03:58 PM IST | Breaking News, Courts & Law | Follow on Google News

Supreme Court Orders High Courts to Provide Access to Video Conferencing and Hybrid Hearings

Supreme Court Orders High Courts to Provide Access to Video Conferencing and Hybrid Hearings

The Supreme Court of India has directed all high courts in the country not to deny access to video conferencing or hybrid mode hearings to lawyers and litigants. This move comes as a response to concerns over the minimal use of technology to facilitate hybrid hearings in high courts.

The Supreme Court’s order mandates that, after a period of two weeks, no high court shall deny access to video conferencing or hybrid hearings to members of the bar and litigants. The court also directed high courts to establish standard operating procedures (SoP) for accessing hybrid or video conferencing hearings within four weeks.

Furthermore, the Union IT Ministry has been instructed to ensure internet connectivity to courts in northeastern states to enable online hearings.

The Chief Justice of India emphasized that judges need to be tech-friendly, stating that technology is no longer a matter of choice for the judiciary.

This directive underscores the importance of leveraging technology to ensure access to justice and streamline legal proceedings.

VoM News Desk

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