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VIRTUAL COURTS MUST CONTINUE AND OPTION BE PROVIDED FOR HEARING THROUGH VIDEO CONFERENCE – this will save lot of manpower and all type of costs local and other travelling, organizational, administrative and other costs for all and can expedite delivery of justice. Besides virtual courts are environment and health friendly.

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VIRTUAL COURTS MUST CONTINUE AND OPTION BE PROVIDED FOR HEARING THROUGH VIDEO CONFERENCE – this will save lot of manpower and all type of costs local and other travelling, organizational, administrative and other costs for all and can expedite delivery of justice. Besides virtual courts are environment and health friendly.
DEV KUMAR KOTHARI By: DEV KUMAR KOTHARI
January 17, 2023
All Articles by: DEV KUMAR KOTHARI       View Profile
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VIRTUAL COURTS MUST CONTINUE AND OPTION BE PROVIDED FOR HEARING THROUGH VIDEO CONFERENCE – this will save lot of manpower and all type of costs  local and other  travelling, organizational, administrative and other  costs for all and can expedite delivery of justice.

Besides virtual courts are environment and health friendly.

Virtual Courts are continuing with physical courts:

We find that virtual courts and online hearing are continuing besides physical courts  in many of forums. There are examples where courts are having benches for physical courtrooms besides virtual / video conference courts. For example,  we  find about ITAT at  https://itat.gov.in/page/content/Notice-Board  and in that we can search and find physical and virtual hearings both conducted at difference locations.

For example in Kolkata bench, we find hearing by virtual courts for Benches at Ranchi, Patna, Cuttack. We can search for such benches or can find in constitution of Kolkata Benches which include virtual courts for other benches. Similarly we find for other benches. For example some links are as follows:

https://itat.gov.in/page/content/Notice-Board – search with Kolkata, Ranchi, Cuttack... etc.

In case of search with Kolkata we find Kolkata Benches which are at present functioning in physical court room mode and benches of other places, carried through Kolkata Bench ( Zonal HQ) are generally in virtual mode.

Pune Bench is also carrying virtual courts for other benches like Panji and Raipur benches by virtual court.

Ahmedabad Bench has also carried hearing of Rajkot Bench by way of Virtual Court.

Courts can provide option for virtual hearing:

Courts/ Tribunal which are equipped and which are still having virtual court system must  provide an option to even local litigants to make representation in virtual court. Courts, which are not so quipped, can be equipped for virtual courts.

Virtual Courts have lot of benefits to all:

Judges, litigants, representatives of litigants all can avail benefits and advantages of ease of doing work, work from home in fact work from anywhere , work without or with least of travelling (local and out station both).

Occasions of adjournment for any reason (related with judges, litigants, administrative staff etc.) can be reduced considerably because of added flexibility is found  in on line working with  Information technology  enabled services ( ITES).

These will saves time of all and make representation for litigants smoother ,  easier and cost effective.

Courts are places where highly educated and experienced people work:

In Courts, judges, counsels and even administrative officers and staff are highly educated and experienced people. The physical court system is main cause of piling cases due to lower disposal.

 In ITES based filing ,working, representation etc. work can be expedited.

SOME USEFUL REFERENCES AND LINKS:

We  find a 24 page PDF document tiled “ HEARING THROUGH VIDEO CONFERENCE – ITAT DELHI” at the following link:

https://www.voiceofca.in/siteadmin/document/HEARINGTHROUGHVIDEOCONFERENCE-ITATDELHI.pdf

This document provide detailed information about system of virtual courts and virtual hearing for ITAT at Delhi. This can be used as example of  guidelines for functioning of virtual courts. 

https://ecommitteesci.gov.in/service/virtual-courts/

https://vcourts.gov.in/virtualcourt/

Other work by video conferencing:

Our PM and other ministers have carried out and are still using ITES for doing work with video conferencing. We can find search results by proper searching criterion for example:

Search with prime minister modi - work through video conferencing shows 77,44,000 results.

Search with ministers in India  their work through video conferencing found  20.90 crore results.

Search with ministers in India  work through video conferencing  found 16.40 crore results.

It is true that  many of  them may relates with the same subject, reported in different websites . Even if take 1% of total numbers as related to different subjects,  this shows that how effectively ITES have been used and applied by Shri Narendra Modi  and other ministers in India in many events and occasions which would not have interaction with  any minister if ITES were not used.

Interaction can be from anywhere:

In case of virtual courts/ e-courts interaction of judges, members, counsels and others for the purpose of hearing can be from anywhere. For example, in any case two judges or members and counsels can join and appear from anywhere and different places.

Two judges or members can be posted at different places but can act as judges / members for a bench working at third place. This will make constitution of benches more flexible and  wide. May be some administrative orders/ notifications will be required.

 Counsels need not be available locally they can also appear and attend hearing virtually from anywhere.  

Therefore, work through ITES need to be continued and preferred mode of working by all concerned.

Some pages showing simultaneous working of ITAT in physical court  and virtual court mode in reent past and some future dates are appended below:

Virtual and physical courts working simultaneously – some examples.

1. CONSTITUTION  16-19 Jan  23 Kkolkata  physical and virtual ( for some  other benches)

1.A CAUSE LIST  PATNA 16-19 JAN 23 ALL VIRTUAL BY MEMBERS AT  KOLKATA

1.B  CAUSE LIST  RANCHI 16-19 JAN 23 ALL VIRTUAL BY MEMBERS AT KOLKATA

2. CONSTITUTION CHANDIGARH VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL 9-13 JAN 23

3. CONSTITUTION VIRTUAL E-COURT OF  RAJKOT AT AHMEDABAD

4. CONSTITUTION VIRTUAL PANJI AND RAIPUR AT PUNE  const20jan23

5. CONSTITUTION VIRTUAL DEHRADUN AT DELHI 13jan2023

6. CONSTITUTION chandigarh physical and virtual 16 to 20 jan 23

Raders can visit website of ITAT that is

https://itat.gov.in/page/content/Notice-Board

and search for any of benches.

 

By: DEV KUMAR KOTHARI - January 17, 2023

 

 

 

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