New Delhi, Jan 19 : The Secretary General of the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the notice asking lawyers and litigants to avoid using mobile phones to attend the virtual court proceedings was a mere advisory and did not bar its usage.
The clarification by Secretary General Virender Kumar Bansal came on a representation made by the Supreme Court Advocates On Record Association (SCORA) to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana to ask the Registry to not insist on a particular kind of equipment or connectivity to join court hearings.
On January 17, the CJI had expressed unhappiness over disruptions during virtual hearings due to the use of mobiles.
Later that day, the apex court registry, through a circular, asked the advocates and litigants to use a desktop or laptop with a stable internet connection to join proceedings conducted through video conferencing.
In reply to SCORA’s representation, the Secretary General wrote, “Contrary to the concern expressed by you, a careful reading of the notice dated January 17 reveals that it is merely advisory in nature and nowhere in the said advisory it is stated that the usage of mobile phones is barred.”
He said the purpose of the advisory was to facilitate smooth functioning of the Court and to avoid inconvenience to all the stakeholders including the advocates and litigants.