Justice S. Muralidhar Seen As The Steve Jobs Of Indian Judiciary By Judges Across The Country: Justice V. Ramasubramanian

Justice Ramasubramanian made these observations while delivering his keynote address at a symposium organized by CAN Foundation, in partnership with National Law University, Jodhpur & Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar on the topic- Strengthening Doorstep Justice - Augmenting Access to Virtual Courts'.

Justice Ramasubramanian observed that though the Indian Judiciary had conceptualized the e-courts project in the year 2005, but, he added, it was only after the pandemic that the legal edifice could realize the true potential of Virtual Courts.

Further, elucidating the differences between Online and Virtual Courts, SC Judge asserted that in virtual hearings, judges, advocates, and litigants need to be available for a hearing, whereas in online courts, the participants need not be present simultaneously.

Also, he noted that India is not alone in its search for an online solution to an offline problem and that many countries, even the UN, realized the need to switch from physical to virtual mode.

Lastly, while concluding his Keynote Address, he shared a video of a real-life incident from the United States, wherein the presiding Judge of a Virtual Courtroom took immediate action to ensure that the witness appearing on the screen was not under any form of mental pressure after sensing unusual behavior from the end of the witness.