Bombay HC Seeks DRT Registrar Response on Plea for Video Conference

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday sought the response of the registrar of the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) regarding a plea for video conference facilities for litigants and lawyers.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif Doctor was hearing a plea seeking video conference facilities in all courts and tribunals across the State.

The Court acknowledged that the High Court already had a hybrid hearing facility in place and that initiatives were being taken for district courts. Consequently, it directed the petitioner to limit the plea to the facilities in DRTs.

The bench stated, “We asked you to restrict the plea to DRTs. As for issues concerning the High Court and district courts, initiatives have been undertaken. Work for district court is in progress.”

Accordingly, the Court issued notice to the DRT registrar, to be returned on August 23. It directed the Registrar to provide a record of the steps taken to facilitate video conference hearings.

Furthermore, the bench emphasized that district courts were making efforts, as some judicial orders had been issued in this regard. It then expressed that the Court need not make additional efforts on the judicial side when adequate efforts were being made on the administrative side.

The bench remarked, “District courts are making efforts, judicial orders were passed. We do not need to make efforts on the judicial side when all efforts are being made on the administrative side.”

In the context of Bombay High Court, the plea highlighted that only the court of Justice GS Patel conducts online hearings. The plea emphasized that during the COVID-19 pandemic, all proceedings in courts and tribunals in Maharashtra and Goa were effectively conducted online. The petitioner asserted that it was an extremely convenient and cost-effective mode that should not be disregarded.