Court hearings go online

But technical glitches raise concern over ability to deliver justice

THE Supreme Court has adopted a virtual trial system to help the country’s highest court handle more cases amid the pandemic and enact judicial reform quicker than planned, but recurrent technical glitches have called into question its ability to deliver justice.

The Supreme Court has allowed for all lower and appellate court hearings to be held via Zoom since April last year.

The court signed an agreement with the Attorney General’s Office and the Law and Human Rights Ministry, allowing the trial of criminal cases to be held online.

Prior to the pandemic, only trials for civil and state administration cases were allowed to be held online.

During the launch of the Supreme Court’s 2020 annual report, chief justice Muhammad Syarifuddin called the Covid-19 pandemic “a blessing in disguise” for the judicial institutions for forcing them to gradually transition to online trials.

But legal experts have said that online court sessions via video conferences had been marred with technical glitches, which may hamper future hearings from being conducted properly.

They urge the court and other relevant stakeholders to address the issue.

“When a (virtual) hearing is in session, there are usually a lot of disturbances; for example, the sound was unclear,” said Jakarta Legal Aid Institute lawyer Nelson Simamora.

He added that the Supreme Court should pay attention to whether the virtual hearings could run smoothly without impeding the defendants’ rights. — The Jakarta Post/ ANN