Hybrid mode of hearing picks up pace at District Court

Advocates have started taking benefit of hybrid mode of hearing at the District Court here. Over 80 advocates appeared in court via video-conferencing to argue their cases in different courts on October 24 and 25.

The hybrid hearing facility has proved useful at the time when normal functioning of the courts is affected due to the ongoing protest by advocates. It has been over 20 days since the advocates have been abstaining from work. They are demanding a fair probe and arrest in the death case of an advocate. One of the advocates, who appeared through hybrid mode, said due to the call for abstaining from work given by the Bar Association, a large number of litigants were facing hardship.

Vinod K Verma, former vice-president of District Bar Association, said though the protest affected the functioning of the courts, the authorities concerned must address their grievances immediately so that people did not suffer more. As per the latest data, 40 cases were heard through hybrid mode on October 24 and 11 of these were decided. Forty-three cases were taken up on October 25 and 12 of these were disposed of.

In many cases, the parties were present for physically hearing while their advocates joined the court virtually.

The District Court has provided dedicated links for each court, enabling litigants, lawyers, and witnesses to participate in proceedings remotely. On an average, 3,000 cases are listed in 30 courts here. These include civil, criminal and other cases.