Virtual courts are cheaper and faster, citizen-friendly and should continue even after the coronavirus crisis passes as they also address the "locational and economic handicap", a parliamentary panel has said.
In a report on the impact of COVID-19, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice said “digital justice” also ensured safety of witnesses. Bharatiya Janata Party's Bhupender Yadav, who heads the panel, submitted the report to Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on September 8.
"The parliamentary panel strongly pitched for virtual courts stating that digital justice is cheaper and faster … and (they) are an improvement over traditional courts as they are most affordable, citizen friendly and offers greater access to justice," The Indian Express quoted Yadav as saying.
Digital justice ensured safety of vulnerable witnesses providing testimony and expedited processes and procedures, it said.
The digital transformation of judiciary would have wider implications and help in clearing the case backlog, the panel said.
The Indian judicial system is hobbled by slow pace of proceedings that can go on for years.
The committee recommended that the Ministry of Electronics and IT employ globally tried and tested tools to make virtual hearings more life-like and engaging, the report said.
"Technology may, in fact, be a catalyst for simplifying processes and making manual process redundant. It will make justice accessible and affordable to a large section of the population and help in overcoming physical and logistical barriers which prevent many litigants from seeking justice," the report said.
Also Read: Supreme Court heard 15,000 cases via videoconferencing in 100 days since COVID-19 outbreak
The panel also said that the transfer of certain categories of cases from regular courts to virtual ones would reduce the pendency of cases.
To begin with, "all such matters where personal presence may be dispensed with, can be transferred" to virtual courts, and the judiciary may identify the category of cases that can be tried digitally, the panel said.
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