SC highlights success of virtual courts, says nearly 3K lawyers appeared in hearings on Wednesday

Amid demands from bar bodies for resuming physical court hearings, the Supreme Court on Wednesday released the data of the day to highlight the "success story" of virtual court proceedings, saying as many as 2,893 lawyers appeared in these hearings through video-conferencing.

"Data shows the day-by-day success story of the Virtual Court. Today, 2,893 advocates joined the virtual court hearings before 10 benches of the Supreme Court," an official of the apex court said.

Referring to Wednesday's cause list, he said 263 main matters, along with 102 connected ones, were heard by different benches during the day. The apex court has been conducting proceedings through video-conferencing from March 25 as it has suspended the entry of lawyers and other staff into its premises. However, it recently said the lawyers' chambers can be re-opened on an odd-even basis during weekdays with certain safety measures in place.

The apex court, on Tuesday, decided to explore the feasibility of "physical appearance" of advocates in real courtroom hearings after strictly following the coronavirus-triggered lockdown and resorting to virtual hearings since March 25. Prior to this, the Bar Council of India and few other bar bodies had urged the top court to consider resuming courtroom hearings on various grounds, including that the virtual court system was not working well in favour of many lawyers, who either did not have access to the technology or were not well-versed with it.