New Delhi: Justice Pratibha M. Singh of the Delhi High Court on Friday expressed displeasure over how many benches allowing virtual appearance of lawyers has led to many faux pas and is becoming a matter of concern for many judges.
She said that some lawyers appearing through video conference are disturbing the court proceedings repeatedly.
If this keeps happening, the judge said, the court will need to enact some strict measures, and those who keep repeating it won’t be permitted to appear remotely.
She said: “We will get their enrolment number and say that these people will not be allowed a virtual hearing.”
In a series of mishappenings during the court proceedings, a lawyer asked the court whose matter was going on when he appeared through VC. A lawyer had previously logged in using two devices, which resulted in an echo.
In another instance, the counsel was not aware of the matter she was appearing in.
Following all of this, the court observed that the proceedings had turned into a joke.
Mentioning how people can be seen walking in parks and logging into hearings while standing in corridors, Justice Singh said: “They are not even sitting in their offices. None of them have any papers. The court has to tell them if their matter is passed over. We have to repeat the dates three times.”
However, many judges also ask lawyers to be physically present if the matter requires a detailed hearing.
(IANS)
