After Supreme Court rebuke, Bombay HC to commence hybrid and virtual hearings

The Bombay High Court has said it would commence virtual and hybrid hearing of matters from Tuesday, after a rap from the Supreme Court for disbanding video conferencing infrastructure.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the HC had started hearing matters online through video conferencing. However, it was done away with and physical hearings were restored when coronavirus cases dropped considerably and lockdown was lifted. On October 6, the SC said no high court in the country shall deny access to video conferencing or hearing through hybrid mode to lawyers and litigants after two weeks.

An apex court bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud also made it clear that technology is not a matter of choice for judges now. On Monday, the Bombay HC issued a notice saying from Tuesday all its benches can be accessed virtually by stake holders in the cases listed before courts, for attending or participating in hearing virtually through hybrid video conferencing facility.