The jury is still out but SC shows the tricky path to virtual justice

Besides lack of bandwidth, litigants and advocates from affluent backgrounds appear to have trouble with the software

Following the Covid-19 outbreak in India, the Supreme Court (SC) in March passed an order directing various subordinate courts to shift to video conferencing, giving rise to a system of virtual hearings. The object behind this was to ensure that the delivery of justice goes on unimpeded even during a pandemic. However, the experience of various stakeholders after around 90 days of virtual court hearings has been varied.

The introduction of what one may also call a “virtual court” is not a novel concept. The SC has been taking steps towards digitising the justice system, more so over the last eight