HC directs dist courts, tribunals to keep virtual hearing weblinks open entire day

New Delhi, Jan. 20: The Delhi High Court Thursday directed all district courts and tribunals here to keep virtual hearing weblinks open from 10 AM every working day so that lawyers and litigants do not face any problem in appearing virtually for their cases during the Covid pandemic.

The high court said it expects all the judicial officers of the subordinate courts to follow its orders to hold virtual or hybrid hearings in letter and spirit.

“We, in the high court, follow the same system and find no reason why it should not be followed by the subordinate courts and tribunals,” a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said.

The bench took exception to the explanation offered by a judicial officer of a trial court here for not considering the request made by a lawyer

to permit hybrid and video-conferencing hearing facilities, despite high court’s directions.

The bench asked the judicial officer to join the virtual hearing and asked why her court’s weblink was not open on that particular day.

The metropolitan magistrate said she was not informed by her staff that such a request for virtual hearing has been received from the advocate and that disciplinary action has been taken against the concerned court staff.

The officer further said she has given standing instructions to her court staff to open the weblink and log in at sharp 10 AM and keep it open till the court timings or till the board is exhausted.

However, the high court said if that was the case then it failed to understand why the counsel had to face problem to log in for the virtual hearing on that day.

“We wish to tell you and all others that once there are directions, you have to follow them and you don’t have any other option,” the bench said.