Cal High Court’s Port Blair Circuit Bench gets 10 video con cabins

Kolkata: Inaugurating ten video conferencing (VC) cabins for advocates and litigants at its Circuit Bench Port Blair on Thursday, Calcutta High Court’s Chief Justice (CJ) TS Sivagnanam said it was the first time in India such a facility was provided for a Circuit Bench and which will ensure easy access to justice.

CJ Sivagnanam said: “A few years back, the devastating Covid pandemic affected our lives. Everything came to a standstill. More particularly in the islands people suffered a lot. The Calcutta High Court at that time took a proactive step and opened a gateway for the advocates and litigants to approach the high court through virtual mode to ensure justice is neither delayed nor denied.”

He added: “In 2021, taking note of the topographical situation of the islands and also bearing in mind that access to justice should be available to all regardless of their positions in the society, a proposal was made by the Calcutta High Court for establishing 10 VC cabins with latest equipment. The proposal took some time and the Nicobar administration was kind enough to sanction more than Rs 36 lakh for setting up the facility.”

The CJ mentioned: “The VC cabins will help in timely justice and access to justice to not only to the advocates but also to the litigants. Advocates practicing in Port Blair now won’t have to travel to Kolkata to appear in their cases and rush back. They can do so through these cabins. The Supreme Court is now encouraging the appearance of advocates through VC mode”.

Calcutta HC judge Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, who is also the Judge-in-Charge, Andaman & Nicobar (A &N) Islands, said: “Other projects are also in the pipeline to establish similar cabins in districts of Mayabunder, Campbell

Bay and Nicobar.”