Finance
Dr. Justice DY Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India, inaugurated Virtual High Courts in ten districts on February 3, 2023: Sambalpur, Ganjam at Berhampur, Bhadrak, Kalahandi at Bhawanipatna, Khurda at Bhubaneswar, Bolangir, Koraput at Jeypore, Puri, and Sundargarh at Rourkela.
The inaugural function was held at the Odisha Judicial Academy, and Dr Justice S Muralidhar, Chief Justice, and the Judges of the Orissa High Court were in attendance. Former High Court Judges, Advocates from the ten districts, members of the High Court Bar Association, the Advocate General of Odisha, the Deputy Solicitor General of India for the High Court of Orissa, Judicial Officers, and Government Officials were among those who attended the function.
The Chief Justice of India officially launched the Virtual High Courts from Delhi. Existing Video Conferencing Infrastructure The High Court of Orissa has launched a number of initiatives to integrate technology into the day-to-day operations of the state’s justice delivery system. The adoption of video conferencing in proceedings before the High Court and District Courts has been the most prominent of such initiatives.
During the COVID 19 pandemic, the High Court of Orissa established VC cabins in each district so that advocates from any district could appear in any court, including the High Court of Orissa. This is now a regular occurrence in District Courts. As far as the High Court is concerned, its system of hybrid hearing is continuing, and is welcomed by the Bar throughout Odisha.
Virtual High Court Initiative in Districts The proposal for a Virtual High Court in the Districts was presented to the Supreme Court of India on the judicial side, and it was approved by the Supreme Court in an order dated December 14, 2022 in TP(C) No.2419 of 2019 M/s. Mahanadi Coal Fields Ltd. and others vs. PLR Projects Pvt. Ltd.
As a result, the High Court of Orissa has decided to move forward with the establishment of dedicated Virtual High Courts in 10 of the 30 districts in the first phase. These are in Sambalpur, Berhampur, Bhadrak, Kalahandi in Bhawanipatna, Bhubaneswar, Bolangir, Koraput in Jeypore, Puri, and Rourkela. The geographical location and the volume of cases filed from the Districts in the High Court. influenced the selection of the first ten virtual High Courts.
The Virtual High Courts at Sambalpur, Bolangir, Sundergarh at Rourkela are in Western Odisha, Kalahandi at Bhawanipatna, Koraput at Jeypore and Ganjam at Berhampur in Southern Odisha, Balasore and Bhadrak in Northern Odisha, and Khurda at Bhubaneswar and Puri are in Eastern Odisha.
It is seen that of the present pending caseload of around 1.7 lakh cases in the High Court, around 72,760 cases are filed from the above ten districts, with the highest of the above ten districts being Khurda from where around 27,160 cases have been filed. The other approximate figures of filing of cases from the remaining 9 Districts are: Sambalpur (4,000), Ganjam (10,500), Bhadrak (5,300), Kalahandi (3,400), Bolangir (3,800), Koraput (3,200), Puri (8,200) and Rourkela at Sundargarh (3,278).
The above districts were also chosen in such a way that those in neighboring districts within a radius of 100 kilometers will be able to use the Virtual High Court facilities in those districts for the time being. For example, those in the neighboring districts of Bargarh, Deogarh, Jharsaguda, and Angul can use the Virtual High Court facility in Sambalpur. In the next phase, it is planned to open more Virtual High Courts in districts where the volume of filings justifies it or where the Bar has long expressed a desire for such a service.
Cuttack being the seat of the High Court, there will be no need to have an additional Virtual High Court there. The above facility will be in addition to the facility of virtual court rooms and VC cabins that are available in almost every district in Odisha.
Facilities in Virtual High Courts
These Virtual High Courts will have video conferencing facilities, and importantly, a ‘Back Office’ where it will be possible for lawyers to e-file their cases with assistance from staff/officer dedicated for that purpose. Advocates or parties in person not familiar with computers can hand over the hard copy of the petition to the staff at the Back Office who will then scan and prepare and e-file the petition.
The following services will be available through digital mode in these Virtual High Courts: (a) Scrutiny of e-filed cases and removal of defects; (b) Numbering of the cases (c) Listing of cases including mentioning before the High Court in virtual mode. (d) Submission of application for and issuance of certified copies of the orders and judgments.
These facilities are in addition to and not in substitution of any of the facilities for lawyers and litigants.
ICT devices made available
The High Court has supplied the following ICT devices to the Districts for functioning of the Virtual High Courts:
• 55 inches Television (for appearing before the Benches of the High Court);
• Speakers (for clear audibility);
• Document Visualizer (for display of the documents during hearing of the cases);
• Stand cameras and microphones (so that the conducting Advocates can be clearly visible and audible to the Benches);
• Computers, printers and scanners.
Deployment of staff
The High Court has deputed a trained Assistant Section Officer (ASO) and a Group D employee to each of the 10 Districts to run the above Back Office in the initial phase. The local staff in each of the Districts will be trained to take over after a few months.
Training sessions for familiarisation with the system
Simultaneously, there will be multiple hands-on training sessions for lawyers, law clerks and staff in the districts for making them conversant with use of the facilities available in Virtual High Courts. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on use of the facilities has been drawn after receiving inputs from the District Judges with a view to facilitating the Advocates in using the facilities.
The inaugural function
Delivering the welcome address in the inaugural function at Odisha Judicial Academy, Justice Subhasis Talapatra, the Chairman of the IT & AI Committee of the High Court said establishment of the future High Courts is a strong experimentation on the part of the High Court with the use of technology which will ultimately result in narrowing of gaps and strengthening of the open court system.
Speaking on the occasion Dr S Muralidhar, Chief Justice setting up Virtual High Courts in the Districts is a big step forward and if it succeeds, it will change the face of the judiciary. The Chief Justice said through the Virtual High Courts the High Court of Orissa will make it presence felt in the Districts and it will ultimately serve the people of Odisha.
He informed the audience about the Virtual High Courts’ facilities and stated that even Advocates in remote Districts will be able to file a case before the High Court, have his case heard, and obtain certified copies of the orders. The Chief Justice stated that the Virtual High Court established in the first phase will serve the needs of neighboring Districts until it is established in the remaining Districts. Dr. Muralidhar thanked the Supreme Court of India’s e-Committee for its assistance in all of the High Court’s initiatives.
In his inaugural address, Chief Justice of India Dr. DY Chandrachud praised the initiative of the High Court of Orissa, saying that the High Court has been a trailblazer in e-Initiatives and that the movements spearheaded by it will become a National movement when the other High Courts in the country follow suit. While most High Courts have only one seat and only a few have second benches, the CJI stated that the High Court of Orissa will be the first to be accessible from all districts in the state. He congratulated Chief Justice Dr. S Muralidhar, saying that it was possible because of his dynamic leadership, and he also praised
The efforts of IT technicians, operators, and personnel. The CJI stated that the Virtual High Court in Districts will ensure decentralization of justice administration and accessibility of the High Court to Advocates from remote Districts. He added that talent knows no geographical boundaries, and the videoconferencing facility in the Virtual High Courts will provide exposure to legal talents from smaller cities, who often find it difficult to practice in the High Court due to lack of access.
The CJI announced that the Supreme Court, with the assistance of IIT, Madras, has adopted a new initiative of translating its judgments into regional languages using AI tools, and expressed hope that under the leadership of Dr. S. Muralidhar the High Court of Orissa would adopt translation of its judgments into Odia. The CJI also informed that the Supreme Court has launched e-Supreme Court Reports by which 35,000 judgments of the Supreme Court have been made available in the portal for use of the lawyers, Judges and litigants free of charge.
The vote of thanks was proposed by Dr Justice Sanjeeb Kumar Panigrahi, Member of the High Court’s IT & AI Committee. He stated that the Virtual High Court will resolve the issue of accessibility due to distance and costs.
Following the inauguration, a brief video presentation of the Virtual High Courts was made. The Virtual High Court in the Districts would increase the participation of Advocates from all over Odisha in judicial proceedings in the High Court of Orissa. Long-distance problems will be solved as the High Court will be easily accessible to litigants and Advocates in the most remote parts of the state.
Source:OCN
