Virtual Courts In India

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the justice delivery system like never before. The compulsions associated with 'social distancing' coupled with lockdown directives have led courts and tribunals to shut their premises to the public. At the same time, recognizing that a complete shut-down of the justice-delivery system is undesirable, judicial administrators have turned to technology to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic. Various judicial and quasi-judicial bodies, led by the Supreme Court, have been conducting hearings online.

However, while these measures are commendable, they are not sufficient. This is because of the following reasons:

• The virtual system of functioning has not been adopted by all judicial and quasi-judicial institutions across the country.