Indian Supreme Court receives ‘series of futuristic upgrades’ with paperless courtrooms, free WiFi

The Indian Supreme Court, on Monday (July 3) reopened with a “series of futuristic upgrades”, including paperless and technology-enabled set-up in courtrooms and free wifi for advocates, litigants, media persons and others. The “series of futuristic upgrades” were implemented under the vision of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud, said the apex court.

What were the changes made?

The Indian top court reopened on Monday after the six-week summer vacation, during which it received a technological upgrade. This comes as a part of the new “e-initiatives” in the SC under which the “facility of free Wi-Fi is made available for advocates, litigants, media persons and other stakeholders visiting the Supreme Court of India,” said a statement by the court.

It also indicated that as of now, this facility is available in CJI’s court, court numbers two to five, corridor and Plaza in front as well as both waiting areas in front of the plaza, canteen and Press Lounge –I and II which were to take effect starting July 3. It will be extended to all courtrooms, Bar Library–I and II, Ladies Bar Room, and Bar Lounge in a “phased manner”.

“We have made courts 1 to 5 WiFi-enabled. The bar rooms are Wi-Fi-enabled as well. All courtrooms will now be like that – no books and papers – which is not to say that we will not rely on books and papers at all,” said the CJI, at the beginning of the day’s proceedings on Monday.

He added, “Please give me feedback on whether everything is working well”. The steps were taken as part of the e-initiatives by the Indian SC, said an apex court official, as per the PTI news agency.

Other ‘futuristic upgrades’ to SC courtrooms

In a subsequent statement, the top court also said, “A series of futuristic upgrades have been implemented in Court No. 1 to 3 at the Supreme Court of India under the dynamic vision of the Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India, Dr Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud to enhance the use of technology in Judicial Systems.”

The top court has also reportedly sought to go green by making optimal use of technology in justice delivery systems. The courtrooms will now have “a state-of-the-art Digital Video Conferencing (VC) system” for better and more efficient communication and collaboration.

It will also enable remote participation and virtual meetings in courtrooms making them more accessible. “Cable cubbies have been integrated into these courtrooms…(the cubbies) are equipped with LAN connections, HDMI outputs, USB C&A ports along with power sockets,” said the apex court.

It added, “The use of these (cubbies) would help in the integrated use of Multimedia devices while ensuring a clutter-free environment.”

Additionally, the courtrooms have been equipped with a “futuristic LED video wall” for a high-resolution display of camera feeds and also enhances the visual impact of presentations, evidence, and video recordings, creating an immersive and engaging experience, reported PTI.

Addressing the audio-related changes to the courtrooms of the top court, they have been equipped with Front of House (FOH) speakers which have been placed with under-tablespeakers along with suitable amplifiers to ensure “that every voice and audio source is heard with exceptional clarity.”

This is in addition to new software developed by the Indian Supreme Court which will allow advocates to upload reference material and citations relating to their case. The apex court is also working on software to provide an e-pass facility to the advocates and litigants to access courtrooms, said the SCin a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

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