Digital divide impacting functioning of judiciary:" CJI NV Ramana discusses way forward with all High Court Chief Justices

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https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/digital-divide-functioning-judiciary-cji-nv-ramana-interaction-high-court-chief-justices

 

"Digital divide impacting functioning of judiciary:" CJI NV Ramana discusses way forward with all High Court Chief Justices

CJI Ramana held a live interaction with Chief Justices of all High Courts to take stock of the issues being faced by judiciary considering the fact that all courts are now functioning via virtual mode due to COVID-19

CJI NV Ramana meeting with High Court Chief Justices

Debayan Roy

 

 

 

Published on : 04 Jun, 2021 , 5:24 pm

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana held a live interaction with Chief Justices of all High Courts to take stock of the issues being faced by judiciary considering the fact that all courts are now functioning via video conference due to COVID-19.

 

The interaction took place took place via virtual mode and was spread over four different sessions on June 1 and June 2, a press release issued in this regard said.

A general view that emerged at the meeting was that the digital divide is "impacting the functioning of the judiciary and better connectivity and network in districts, particularly in rural and tribal areas, would go a long way in enhancing the efficiency of the subordinate judiciary."

Some of the core issues which were discussed in the meeting were about the impact of pandemic on the functioning of judiciary, the measures taken by the judicial administration to ensure that the wheels of justice are on the move, the innovations to tackle the challenges thrown by the pandemic, vaccination drives to keep all the stakeholders and their families safe, issues of connectivity/network and challenges of judicial infrastructure, vacancies etc.

CJI Ramana also took stock of the vacancies in High Courts and re-emphasized the need to fill up vacancies.

Vaccination drives for judges, court staff and lawyers also came up for discussion. It was noted that while vaccination drives in High Courts and district courts were, by and large, satisfactory, the lower courts are still awaiting their turn.

One of the High Courts informed the CJI that it is contemplating mobile vaccination centers to make vaccines available in Sub-Division and Tehsil level courts.

Regarding infrastructure, Chief Justices of Bombay High Court, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Andhra Pradesh High Court requested the CJI’s intervention to remove impediments so as to enable to them to augment infrastructure.

As per the press release, CJI expressed his desire to take forward the national plan for judicial infrastructure on priority, after incorporating inputs received from all the stakeholders.

"Justice Ramana is of the firm belief that unless the infrastructure is strengthened it is unfair to expect the Courts, particularly the lower courts, to do miracles in increasing the pace of justice delivery. Both quality and quantity of justice delivery can be improved only when the support systems are strong enough to meet the challenges, the CJI observed," said the press statement.

"Digital divide impacting functioning of judiciary:" CJI NV Ramana discusses way forward with all High Court Chief Justices

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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/judicial-appointments-should-reflect-social-diversity-cji/article34730621.ece

Judicial appointments should reflect social diversity: CJI

Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana.  

 

CJI N.V. Ramana reminds Chief Justices of High Courts to expedite filling-up of vacancies

 

The Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana has asked the Chief Justices of High Courts to ensure that recommendations for judicial appointments to the High Courts reflect the social diversity of the country.

Chief Justice Ramana said this during his first-ever live and direct interaction with High Court Chief Justices. The discussion spanned two days and four sessions.

The CJI also placed before the Chief Justices of High Courts the representations made by various Bar bodies to include lawyers primarily practising in the Supreme Court in the zone of consideration while recommending the names of judges for their High Courts.

The CJI also reminded the Chief Justices of the High Courts to expedite the process of filling-up of vacancies, particularly in the High Courts. This is a follow-up to the letter the CJI had written to the CJs of High Courts in this regard in the first week of May, 2021, soon after he had taken over as top judge.

During the interaction, the Chief Justice of Madras High Court informed the CJI about the vaccine hesitancy seen in some areas of the State. The Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, however, conveyed his satisfaction on the cooperation and assistance given by the Tamil Nadu government in the vaccination drive.

The session also saw the CJI convey to the Chief Justices his vision to draw from the experience of the pandemic and build modern, self-contained courts with a permanent facility to hold virtual hearings in every courtroom.

The Chief Justice reiterated his wish to create a National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation and take forward a “nation plan” for judicial infrastructure on a priority basis.

The Chief Justices of the High Courts of Bombay, Punjab and Haryana and Andhra Pradesh requested the CJI to intervene to remove roadblocks preventing them from augmenting the infrastructure in the courts within their jurisdiction.

The High Court Chief Justices also flagged the apparent “digital divide” seen in rural and tribal areas. They said the lack of digital connectivity had impacted judicial functioning. A proposal for mobile video conferencing vans was discussed.

Chief Justice Ramana assured the High Courts that the Supreme Court would take up with the Centre the highlighted issues regarding sufficient vaccine supply, connectivity and court infrastructure.