This article was published on March 23, 2020

India’s courts are switching to video conferencing to hear cases


India’s courts are switching to video conferencing to hear cases

In terms of the number of registered coronavirus per country, India is quite far down the list. However, the government isn’t taking the pandemic lightly as the virus can spread rapidly. So, after observing a nationwide 14-hour curfew on Sunday, various state governments have issued orders for lockdown until March 31.

While the disease has affected daily wage workers and office goers, it has also made it tough for the judicial system to operate on a normal basis. So, to minimize any possible viral transmission, India’s Supreme Court said today that it’ll only address important matters through video conferencing. The apex court is situated in the capital city of New Delhi, which is also observing a lockdown until the end of the month.

[Read: India plans to build an all-seeing database to track citizens’ every move by 2021]

The court noted that judges and presenting lawyers will sit in different rooms to maintain distance and avoid any physical contact that might lead to someone getting infected.

High Courts situated in various states have also taken similar steps to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. Today, Gujarat High Court introduced e-Filing and video conferencing to avoid visits to the premise. Over the weekend, Karnatka High Court also said it’ll hear cases only through digital means.

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