The Delhi High Court on Saturday (June 20, 2020) allowed public viewing of hearings conducted through video conferencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a circular issued by the High Court Registrar Manoj Jain, it was stated that links are going to be offered for public viewing so long as the stability of the system is not disturbed, that is, according to the available bandwidth.
The circular said, “all those who are interested in obtaining links for viewing court hearings can contact the concerned court master/court official on their mobile phone numbers published in the cause list.”
The people viewing the hearing online must ensure that their mic is on mute and the video is switched off.
The High Court of Delhi Rules for Video Conferencing for Courts 2020 permit public viewing of court proceedings.
The physical functioning of the High Court has been restricted since 25th March and hearings through video conferencing are being conducted amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
To meet the requirement of an open court proceeding members of the public will be allowed to view court hearings conducted through video conferencing, except for the proceedings conducted in-camera.
"The court shall endeavor to make available sufficient links for accessing the proceedings," the rules said.
