In A First, the Supreme Court runs out of papers while judges use laptops

New Delhi:

For the first time in their history, the three justices on a Supreme Court bench used laptop computers to review cases rather than bulky files.

Judge DY Chandrachud, Judge Hemant Gupta and Judge Ajay Rastogi conducted the paperless hearings using laptops via videoconferencing.

Typically, judges review large files while conducting proceedings in superior court.

Chief Justice Supreme Court SA Bobde recently launched the electronic case filing process in the Supreme Court across the country to replace manual filing with the superior court record.

Judge DY Chandrachud, who chaired the electronic committee of the Supreme Court bill to cut time and costs, told NDTV that it was the first time in Supreme Court history that a superior court bank had no papers. .

He said the paperless hearing is a step towards modern courts.

“We feel empowered more than anything else. We are in charge of everything. The work is simplified and we are less dependent on others. Also, there are no sanitation and hygiene problems as we conduct the paperless hearing,” said the judge. Chandrachud.

“The judiciary is more aligned with the way work is done in modern establishments and this is a step towards modern courts,” he said.

Explaining the procedure, Judge Chandrachud said the case files are delivered electronically to the judges in “zip” compressed files. They are then downloaded and converted into PDF files, a document file format, which the judges then use to study and hear the case.

“We take notes on the cases on our laptops and forward it while we listen to the case,” he said.

Since the end of March, the Supreme Court has held hearings through videoconferences due to the national blockade of COVID-19.

Recently, Supreme Court President SA Bobde said that virtual courts are not a substitute for open courts, but due to compulsion, hearings are conducted via video conference.