The idea of a Digital Court gained currency during the pandemic and has been a big facilitator for the speedy disposal and hearing of urgent cases. Digital court ensured easiness of accessibility of common citizens for justice during the pandemic period.
But as fear of the Pandemic has been fading away in court premises so the Digital Court is losing its relevance in High Courts. A few high courts are now demobilizing the digital Court and having the manual hearing.
This has anguished the Supreme court and the Hon’ble court has given direction to the chief Justice of the High Court not to disband the virtual hearing due to its significance even in the present situation.
A bench headed by Chief justice DY Chandrachud has mentioned that the Chief justice of the High Court should learn the technology that is used in the court proceedings.
Justices should adopt technology whether they are proficient or not . There is massive budget has been allocated by the government for ramping up the digital infrastructure in the courts.
Even some Tribunals are following the footsteps of the High Court for leaving the digital mode of hearings. Supreme court has reminded that digital courts are not only designed for the Pandemic but they hold their significance for future hearings too.