Sweta Singh–
Published on: August 24, 2021, at 17:59 IST
The Supreme Court’s Chief Justice-led Bench today noticed that the Bar is presently divided on the issue of continuity of virtual court hearing of cases and that the lawyers have voice different points of view regarding the decision of the courts to turn back to the physical hearing of the cases.
All India Jurists Association, a body that subsists of more than 5,000 lawyers across the country filed the plea.
The Bench mentioned that we will consider the plea of “some wish courts to remain open, others don’t wish the same”.
The petition also pleads that post Covid- 19 pandemic after instruct and installation of the full virtual court framework in the Constitutional Courts (in the High Courts of the country), denial of access to the facility of attending cases through virtual mode is similar to denial of Fundamental Rights under Article 19 read with 21 of the Constitution of India.
The Court observed after the submission by counsel advocate Siddhart R Gupta to the court, the official order of Uttarakhand High Court which has been decided to stop virtual hearing altogether and which is now causing difficulty to the litigants and lawyers.
It was also argued by Advocate Gupta that recently the Chairperson of the Supreme Court e-Committee, Justice DY Chandrachud had requested all the High Courts across the country to continue with the hybrid model of hearing of cases.
The petition has been drawn and resolved by counsel Mr. Siddharth R. Gupta and the same has been filed through AOR Mr. Shriram Parakkat.