Courts to conduct hearings through video calls, says SC

nNEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued a slew of directions to courts across the country to facilitate hearing of cases through video conferencing, a step which it said was essential to ensure that court premises do not contribute to the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

A three-judge bench, headed by CJI, SA Bobde, said that hearings in congregation must become an exception during the lockdown period and taking steps towards that end is a matter of duty and not an exception.

“Until appropriate rules are framed by the high courts, video conferencing shall be mainly employed for hearing arguments whether at the trial stage or at the appellate stage”, the SC ordered in a suo motu case registered by it based on a letter written by senior advocate Vikas Singh. Singh, in his letter, had suggested modalities to reduce person to person contact and the gathering of advocates inside the SC.

The bench, which also comprised justices DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, said that in view of the unprecedented and extraordinary outbreak , it is necessary for courts to respond to the call for social distancing and ensure that court premises do not contribute to the Covid-19 spread.

“The Supreme Court of India and all high courts are authorized to adopt measures required to ensure the robust functioning of the judicial system through the use of video conferencing technologies”, the court stated in its order passed under Article 142 of the Constitution, which empowers the court to pass orders to do complete justice in cases before it.

A THREE-JUDGE BENCH, HEADED BY CJISAID THAT HEARINGS IN CONGREGATION MUST BECOME AN EXCEPTION DURING THE LOCKDOWN