Newly appointed Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that virtual hearing of cases by courts cannot be a substitute for physical hearings. .Rijiju said that he will speak to the Chief Justices of High Courts to ensure that physical hearings are restarted considering the fact that COVID situation has improved.."Virtual hearing cannot be a substitute for in-person hearing. I had a word with the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India. I will try to have a discussion with the Hon'ble Chief Justices of different High Courts to ensure that we come back to the normalcy because the situation is better," he said. He was speaking at an event organised by the Bar Council of India on July 25 to facilitate him..The Kerala High Court Advocates Association (KHCAA) has already welcomed the statement by the Law Minister. In a statement issued on July 27, the KHCAA said that the "steadfast stand taken by the KHCAA from the very inception that 'virtual hearing is not at all a substitute for physical mode of hearing' has been endorsed by the Union Minister for Law and Justice, Shri Kiren Rijiju, using much more emphatic language." .Courts across India have been functioning via digital mode using different platforms like Vidyo, Zoom, Webex etc after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March 2020. While some High Courts had reverted to physical hearing in late 2020 or early 2021, the same was stopped again after the second wave of the pandemic.
Newly appointed Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that virtual hearing of cases by courts cannot be a substitute for physical hearings. .Rijiju said that he will speak to the Chief Justices of High Courts to ensure that physical hearings are restarted considering the fact that COVID situation has improved.."Virtual hearing cannot be a substitute for in-person hearing. I had a word with the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India. I will try to have a discussion with the Hon'ble Chief Justices of different High Courts to ensure that we come back to the normalcy because the situation is better," he said. He was speaking at an event organised by the Bar Council of India on July 25 to facilitate him..The Kerala High Court Advocates Association (KHCAA) has already welcomed the statement by the Law Minister. In a statement issued on July 27, the KHCAA said that the "steadfast stand taken by the KHCAA from the very inception that 'virtual hearing is not at all a substitute for physical mode of hearing' has been endorsed by the Union Minister for Law and Justice, Shri Kiren Rijiju, using much more emphatic language." .Courts across India have been functioning via digital mode using different platforms like Vidyo, Zoom, Webex etc after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March 2020. While some High Courts had reverted to physical hearing in late 2020 or early 2021, the same was stopped again after the second wave of the pandemic.
