Lawyers attending virtual hearings via mobile phones instead of desktops, laptops or iPads ended up making the bench of Chief Justice of India Justice N.V. Ramana and Justices A.S. Bopanna and Hima Kohli unhappy on Monday since they had to adjourn hearings in as many as 10 cases due to poor audio or video from the advocates’ end during the hearing.
The Bench was visibly upset, saying, “These counsels appear through their mobile phones and they’re not visible. I think we have to ban this mobile business.”
The Bench asked the Advocates “What is the problem? You are now practicing in the Supreme Court, everyday you appear. You can’t afford to have a desktop at least?”
In the second matter, CJI Ramana told the counsel, “The problem is, you are a regular practicing advocate, you can use your computer, you are using your mobile.”
The exasperated CJI said he could understand the use of mobile phones by lawyers from lower courts and wondered why Supreme Court advocates didn’t have a laptop, a desktop or an iPad or some other suitable device for virtual hearings.
The Bench said to the Court Staff, “You please ask counsels to use desktops or laptops, and not mobile phones. We are facing a lot of problems. Don’t disconnect but tell them there’s a problem in hearing through mobile phones.”
With increasing Omicron cases in the new Covid-19 wave, the virtual mode has returned in full force for Supreme Court hearings from January 3, at least for two weeks. The Apex Court has been in session from the offices at their quarters from January 7 and decided to take up on only matters of great urgency from January 10.