Bar Council of India has approached Centre to provide free iPads, laptops, and free WiFi to the needy lawyers throughout the nation to let them avail e-filing facility and virtual hearing court processes.
Besides that, in the resolution passed on Wednesday, BCI also reiterated its demand to the Supreme Court and all High courts regarding the resumption of physical court hearings depending on the prevailing conditions of the particular places.
“The union government, in collaboration with the state governments, is requested and required to provide basic iPads/laptops to all needy advocates of the country for the purposes of e-filing and virtual hearings from the confines of their private space, from their homes, and offices,” said the apex bar body.
BCI’s chairman Manan Kumar Mishra has further stated in the resolution, “The union/state governments are requested to provide free and effective Wifi connections in the premises of all the bar associations of the country with advanced scanners and advanced computer systems of a minimum of at least two in all district courts, four in all high courts and one in taluka courts’ bar associations.”
Bar Council of India has urged the following support is to facilitate the e-filing process and virtual court hearings for the advocates who are deprived of proper infrastructure.
“The BCI in its meeting has also requested to SC and high courts to take early steps to resume hearings in open courts depending on the prevailing conditions of the places. The places where the COVID-19 cases are lesser and the situation appears to be normal and under control, the physical hearing may be resumed,” stated the resolution.
BCI has also asked to ensure the proper sanitization of courtrooms and bar associations’ buildings. “e-committees at high court levels have been also been requested to ensure to provide two expert trainers for each bar association of the country, who could train the members of the bar and make them adept at e-filing and virtual hearings,” said BCI.
BCI has also requested the apex court and all the High Courts to allocate trainers for advocates in context to e-filing.
