Disturbing that some High Court Chief Justices are doing away with technology set up for virtual hearings: Supreme Court

The fact that some High Court Chief Justices are doing away with technology set up for virtual hearings is most disturbing, the Supreme Court said on Monday [All India Association of Jurists v. Uttarakhand High Court]..A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala took a poor view of the practice in some High Courts, while hearing a plea seeking to declare virtual hearing a fundamental right. "What is most disturbing to see is that some Chief Justices of High Courts are doing away with technology set up for virtual hearings. This is not how you deal with public money. It is not that you are technology friendly or not. But you cannot do away with the infrastructure," the CJI remarked. .The CJI further said that the problem arose since certain Chief Justices "liked" technology while others did not. However, he opined, that everyone ought to get acquainted with it. "Problem is some Chief Justices say they like technology and some say they don't. Now I am going to make sure that all fall in line and are on equal board. You are savvy or not get, acquainted with it."He added,"Some judges say that we come to court, then why can't lawyers? That begs the point that judges and lawyers operate in a very different atmosphere.".He also pointed out that the Central government had approved ₹7,000 crore for Phase 3 of the e-Courts Project, which could be used to make technology available to the lawyers. "The Parliamentary Committee had come to the Supreme Court and as a puisne judge, I made a 3-hour long representation. On that basis funds were allocated? They were very receptive. Now High Court Chief Justices will have to take this ahead."CJI Chandrachud went on to flag a concern that no one should be left behind."Technology has to be for the inclusion and not exclusion. We have to think of the bottom layer of the pyramid also and not only the top that you see here," he explained. .The hearing ended with the court stating that it would formulate and pass orders.Advocates Siddharth R Gupta, Mrigank Prabhakar, Sriram Parakkat and MS Vishnu Shankar appeared for the petitioners..The Supreme Court had earlier allowed impleadment applications to make all those High Courts that have stopped entertaining virtual-hearing requests, parties to the case.The Court had also allowed impleadment of the top court's E-Committee.At the time, the Bench had issued notice in the petition by Advocate Varun Thakur, one of the three pleas being heard. .The Court had also issued notice in two other petitions - one filed by All India Jurists Association and another by National Federation of Societies for Fast Justice..The Madhya Pradesh High Court has opposed the present pleas before the Supreme Court..[Follow our live-coverage of today's hearing]