Keep videoconferencing facility on during office hours, Delhi HC tells district courts

Delhi High Court mandates videoconferencing for court proceedings, ensuring seamless access for all parties involved in legal cases.

The Delhi High Court has directed the district courts in the Capital to keep its videoconferencing facilities switched on during court hours.

In the follow-up to COVID-19, courts in Delhi allowed parties involved in legal cases to participate in the court proceedings via videoconference. The Delhi High Court has since issued a series of guidelines over how such proceedings would be conducted.

Last year on June 5, the court issued a set of directions to all district courts here to permit any party in a case or their lawyer to appear through hybrid or videoconferencing mode during court proceedings, without requirement of a prior request.

In the latest slew of guidelines issued on May 20, the High Court ordered that videoconferencing at the subordinate court’s end should not be muted, unless directed otherwise.

“It shall be ensured that the joining in the video conferencing is not locked and advocate, litigants and public shall be able to join the video conferencing seamlessly unless the court directs otherwise as per the office order dated June 5, 2023,” the High Court said.

Additionally, every court must ensure that a message is shown on the video conference screen when the court retires, is not in session, or on leave, it added.