Why did CJI DY Chandrachud get angry at the judges of Bombay High Court, why did he say that they will have to learn?
Chief Justice of the country (CJI) Justice DY Chandrachud on Friday got angry at the judges of Bombay High Court. The reason behind this was that the High Court judges were not conducting virtual or hybrid mode hearings through video conferencing. On this he expressed his displeasure in strong words and said that all the judges will have to learn new technology.
During the hearing in the case of Sarvesh Mathur vs Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana High Court, CJI Chandrachud observed that apart from Justice Gautam Patel of the Bombay High Court, only one or two other judges of the High Court were using the new technology but A large number of judges stayed away from this hybrid hearing. To this the CJI said, “Why is there so much silence on the technology? Why is no one else using it except Justice Patel?”
According to a report by Bar & Bench, the CJI could not hide his pain in this case and asked the judges to learn new techniques. Another thing is that Justice Chandrachud’s original High Court is Bombay High Court. He said, “In Bombay (High Court), you have dismantled the infrastructure. This is my parent High Court and I am sad to say that the hybrid hearing has been removed… How many screens have been removed? Apart from Justice Gautam Patel, how many other courts have hybrid hearings?”
In fact, the CJI was part of the bench hearing the petition in the Supreme Court, in which concern was expressed over the decline in virtual hearings being conducted through video conferencing in various judicial forums, including High Courts, Company Law Tribunals and National Green Tribunals. CJI said that every judge in India will have to keep pace with technology in every situation.
CJI Chandrachud said, “The question is not whether a judge is technology friendly or not. If you want to become a judge, you have to be technology friendly. If you want to become a judge in this country, you have to have knowledge of technology. “And it is necessary for every judge to be trained in it. Even the judges of the Supreme Court have been trained in training centres. Justice Ravindra Bhatt has handled those teams.”
He further said that when the Supreme Court has accepted the use of technology, then why are the High Courts so reluctant and indifferent in this matter?
Addressing Maharashtra Advocate General Dr. Birendra Saraf, the CJI said that I was told by the lawyers that the technology has been removed in the Bombay High Court. On this, AG Saraf said that whenever the request is made, the judge allows virtual hearing. However, the CJI seemed concerned over the issue. Then the Advocate General said that he would talk to the Chief Justice of the High Court on this issue today itself. CJI Chandrachud said, “Technology is no longer a matter of choice. It is as essential as law books. Without technology, how will the courts function?”
