New Delhi, May 21: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Thursday said that he had requested all High Courts across the country to conduct hearings virtually, adding that most of them had already implemented the arrangement.
The remarks of the CJI came after a lawyer sought an urgent hearing of a plea seeking directions for all courts in Delhi to function online as a fuel conservation measure.
Saying that he had already written to the Chief Justices of High Courts requesting them to facilitate virtual hearings, CJI added that it would not be appropriate to issue such directions on the judicial side.
"It may not be appropriate to issue directions on the judicial side. I have already requested the Chief Justices. Most have already implemented. It has to be voluntary exercise by both the Bar and the Bench," CJI Kant told the lawyer.
When the counsel argued that virtual hearings should be introduced before all Delhi district courts in the "national interest", the CJI pointed out that district courts function under the administrative control of the respective High Courts and, therefore, it would be for the High Courts to decide the issue administratively.
CJI said that he had also requested the High Courts, through a letter, to consider extending the arrangement to district courts.
"District courts are the domain of High Courts. District courts are in the administrative domain of High Courts. Let them take the call... I have requested them for district courts also," he said.
The development came after the Supreme Court recently introduced a set of administrative measures aimed at fuel conservation, including mandatory virtual hearings for certain categories of cases on miscellaneous working days and partial working days.
Subsequently, after representations from members of the Bar, the apex court clarified that while advocates were encouraged to appear virtually, physical appearance would still be permitted in unavoidable circumstances.
The fuel-saving measures were adopted by the Union government in light of the West Asia crisis arising from the US-Iran conflict.
