Bombay High Court Issues Notice To DRT On Plea Seeking Video Conferencing Facilities

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) in a writ petition seeking video conferencing facilities for litigants and lawyers in all courts and tribunals throughout Maharashtra.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif Doctor said the High Court already has a hybrid hearing facility, and initiatives to establish similar facilities in district courts are underway. Thus, the court directed Advocate Matthews Nedumpara, the petitioner, to restrict the PIL on the facilities in DRTs.

“The district courts are making efforts, and judicial orders have been passed. We don't need to take it on the judicial side. All efforts are being taken on the administrative side”, the court said.

The court sought the DRTs' response by August 23, 2023. The court also sought a record of the steps taken towards implementing video conference facility for hearings.

Regarding the Bombay High Court, the petition stated that online hearings are only conducted in the court of Justice GS Patel despite Bombay High Court Video Conferencing Rules having been framed in 2022.

Further, during the COVID-19 pandemic, all proceedings in courts and tribunals in Maharashtra and Goa were successfully conducted online, the petition contends, adding that online hearings were highly convenient and cost-effective and should not be abandoned.

Case Title – Mathews J Nedumpura v. High Court of Bombay and Ors.