COVID-19: SC to frame guidelines for courts' functioning through video conferencing

Supreme Court will on Monday take up a matter related to framing of guidelines for functioning of courts through video conferencing during coronavirus pandemic.

A bench heed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and comprising justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nswara Rao will hear matter listed suo motu (on its own) at 12.30 PM.

Since countrywide lockdown from March 25 to prevent spre of Coronavirus, top court has been hearing extremely urgent matters through video conferencing which include bail cases and pleas related to hardship faced by migrant workers.

top court, which has restricted its functioning to prevent spre of coronavirus, h earlier issued a circular that only matters of urgent nature would be heard through video conferencing.

Earlier, in day senior vocate and former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President wrote to Chief Justice Bobde and suggested measures to deal with problems faced by apex court during COVID-19 crisis.

Singh suggested that Supreme Court rules should be “amended urgently to provide for compulsory video conference hearing for certain s of matter and voluntary video conferencing hearing for or s of matters”.

He said that to reduce person to person contact and rush of vocates in Supreme Court certain modalities are required to be put in place immediately.

Justice Chandrachud, who is also chairperson of Supreme Court E-committee, h on April 3 held a meeting through video conferencing with high court judges heing such committees to ensure urgent matters are heard promptly and litigants are t required to come to court during lockdown period.

He h emphasised that prompt measures be opted "at this time of crisis" and said use of techlogy must be institutionalized even after lockdown is lifted and rmalcy returns.

Justice Chandrachud h reviewed measures initiated by high courts in operation of virtual courts and after ting difficulties faced by some states in e-filing of cases, he proposed a meeting of chairpersons of computer committees of high courts to discuss issues.

committee h also discussed possibility of live streaming of court proceedings held by video conferencing but based on an assessment of technical issues like availability of bandwidth and dedicated servers, it was felt that recordings should be hosted on court websites by next day to ensure that people have access to proceedings.

Justice Chandrachud also informed judges about an e-filing module which is in an vanced st of development in Supreme Court and it was agreed that such modes may be used during lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic.

committee also ted that, ideally, judicial officers and vocates should work from ir homes but it was left to high courts to decide to what extent this was feasible.

In a landmark verdict in September 2018, apex court h taken a major leap in imparting transparency in functioning of judiciary by allowing live streaming of court proceedings of cases of constitutional and national importance. PTI MNL ABA SJK RT