All courts must be provided with the best videoconferencing system: Karnataka HC

All the courts in each taluk and district in the State ought to be provided with the best potential videoconference system for the listening to of instances when the capital metropolis has been acclaimed as the “Silicon Valley of India”, stated the High Court of Karnataka.

“The State and the High Court should ensure that the best possible infrastructure to hold videoconference hearings is provided to all the courts, so that they can become role models for courts in other States,” stated a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Suraj Govindaraj.

The Bench was listening to a PIL petition initiated suo motu by the courtroom final 12 months to handle the authorized and technical points arising in the functioning of courts due to the pandemic.

Noting that the functioning of the district and taluk courts has been badly affected, leading to the creation of arrears of instances throughout the first and second waves of COVID-19, the Bench emphasised that the judicial system needed to be in a state of preparedness to face a potential third wave. And therefore, the Bench stated, there can not be any dispute that every one the courts in the State ought to have a correct hybrid system (each bodily and videoconference) of hearings in place.

The Bench additionally stated that every one the courts must be provided with a licensed model of the Zoom utility that’s being efficiently utilized in the High Court’s principal seat and the Benches at Dharwad and Kalaburagi.

The videoconference system of the taluk and district courts can be provided in a phased method whereas giving precedence to the courts of the Principal District Judges, all the Sessions Courts, and all the Courts of Civil Judges taking on legal issues, the Family Courts and the Commercial Court institutions in the complete State, the Bench stated.