Hybrid Hearings: Delhi High Court asks Registrar General to assess infrastructure requirements for lower courts

To facilitate hybrid hearings before lower courts, the Delhi High Court today asked its Registrar General to undertake an assessment of their infrastructure requirements at the earliest and forward the same to the Delhi government (Anil Kumar v. Hon'ble High Court of Delhi)..The order was passed by a Division Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli after counsel for the Delhi government stated that budgetary allocation could be made only after such an assessment is placed before it. .Previously, the Court had asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit on the steps taken by it to provide infrastructure to subordinate courts for hybrid hearings..The Court was considering a petition seeking hybrid hearings in lower courts on physical hearing days in view of the COVID-19 threat..The petitioners are practising lawyers who are all senior citizens..Today, petitioner-in-person Anil Kumar Hajelay raised concerns with regard to the physical hearings before several quasi-judicial bodies in the national capital, such as office of Deputy Labour Commissioner and consumer fora. .The Court was informed that adverse orders were being passed by these fora in case of non-appearance of parties. .In the absence of any such orders before it, the Court observed that it could not "assume" that adverse orders were being passed. It thus refused to pass a general order. .It nonetheless said that whenever quasi-judicial bodies have a request, subject to the availability of infrastructure, hybrid hearings should be permitted as is the case in the High Court and lower courts. .The Court also asked the Delhi government to undertake an assessment of the infrastructural requirements of such bodies. .During the course of the hearing in the petition concerning hybrid hearings in the High Court, a suggestion was also made by Advocate Manish Vashisht with respect to the vaccination of eligible lawyers in a facility provided by the High Court..To this, the Court said, "Let us look at it on the administrative side. We are not opposed to the idea... We don't want any flooding.".A request was made by a lawyer for a direction to the Delhi High Court Bar Association to improve the WiFi and internet facility in the premises. The Court was also informed that a room has been set up for lawyers to carry out virtual hearings. .The matter will be heard next on April 27. .Delhi government was represented by Advocate Shadan Farasat. Senior Advocate Viraj Datar appeared for the High Court. .SOP for hybrid hearings: "We have no choice but to take agitational path," SCBA President Vikas Singh says as Supreme Court disposes of challenge