Patiala House Court to hear urgent matters via videoconferencing amid lockdown

In the wake of the ongoing lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Patiala House Court here has decided to hear urgent matters through videoconferencing.

District and Sessions Judge Dinesh Kumar Sharma has directed the court's computer branch incharge to assist all lawyers and litigants who are willing to avail the facility.

The order dated April 10 also directed the caretaker of the court to ensure that courtrooms and chambers are properly sanitised.

The directions come in pursuance of an order passed by the Supreme Court on April 4 in a suo moto matter in which it stated that videoconferencing should be initiated in district courts.

In his order, Sharma said that while the process of providing videoconferencing facility through e-courts platform is underway, the lawyers can use Cisco Webex for the said facility in the interim period.

Lawyers can send in their requests for videoconferencing along with the documents for urgent matters at phcourts@gmail.com. Thereafter, the same will be downloaded by the filing counter incharge and subsequently forwarded to the concerned judge through WhatsApp or email, the order stated.

If the judge agrees with the urgency of the matter, it further said, the incharge will seek report of the investigation officer (IO) and also issue a notice to the chief public prosecutor with a direction to file the said report before the date fixed for hearing so that it can be sent to the opposite parties.

"The IO/Public Prosecutor/Opposite Party shall send their consent to phcourts@gmail.com, the copy of which will be sent to the opposite party forthwith, by the Computer Branch of the court. Afterwards, the Incharge-Filing counter shall inform the next date of hearing and time slot in consultation with the judge on duty on that day or on the day when the hearing is fixed.

"If the Advocates/Litigants/Police/Public Prosecutor are not equipped to conduct the hearing from their locations, the facility for video conferencing shall be made available in the Judge's Conference Room and the Computer Branch shall facilitate such a hearing," the order said.

It said the judges shall immediately upload the order passed on the court's website so that it be downloaded by the parties.

"In case the judge decides to grant bail, the bail bond shall be furnished to the Duty MM stationed in the respective jails," it said.