Lawyers Welcomed With Paperless Courtrooms, Digital Screens & Free Wifi On Supreme Court Reopening

As the Supreme Court re-opened today, lawyers and litigants were welcomed with a refreshing sight of paperless and digitised court rooms. Gone were the huge volumes of law reports which used to be stacked along the walls of the court room of the CJI and the piles of paper files below the bench. Numerous digital screens and upgraded video conferencing facilities were seen adorning the courtroom.

Welcoming the lawyers after the summer recess, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, "I hope lawyers have more space now with all books and all gone from the sides". CJI added that all court rooms of the Supreme Court will be made paperless. "All courtrooms will resemble ours- no books and papers at all", said the CJI, who has been taking proactive initiatives in ensuring the use of technology. He conducted the hearings in major constitution bench cases such as Shiv Sena rift, Delhi vs LG and same-sex marriage in a paperless manner, encouraging senior lawyers to shed their age-old habits of referring to paperfiles and printed-out copies of judgments and insisting that they should use only e-documents.

CJI also announced that free Wi-Fi connectivity will be available in court-rooms and premises

 "Courts 1 to 5 are Wi-Fi enabled. Bar rooms will also be enabled with the same. Court passages are also Wi-Fi enabled. Please give us your feedback."

The enhancements in the courtrooms include installation of a state-of-the-art Digital Video Conferencing (VC) system to facilitate efficient communication and collaboration. The said system enables remote participation and virtual meetings, enhancing the accessibility and connectivity of the courtrooms. Cable cubbies have also been integrated into these courtrooms to fulfil connectivity needs.

Along with this, an LED video wall has also been installed in the courtrooms, serving as a high-resolution display for camera feeds and multimedia content. The video wall is meant to enhance the visual impact of presentations, evidence, and video recordings. It aims at creating an immersive and engaging courtroom experience. To ensure that there is a clear and uniform delivery of audio across the courtroom, a comprehensive sound reinforcement system has also been implemented.

Further, a document camera has been provided in the courtrooms to streamline the sharing of document content. This camera enables the clear capture and real-time display of physical documents, facilitating sharing of important legal materials, evidence, and exhibits.

Earlier this year, CJI DY Chandrachud launched the e-SCR project, making available the digital reports of all judgments online for free. In the month of May, e-Sewa Kendras were opened in the Supreme Court to help lawyers and litigants with e-filing and virtual appearances.