[Breaking] Lawyers Can Attend Virtual Hearings Through Mobile Phones: CJI N.V. Ramana

In a virtual meeting with SCBA members, CJI N.V. Ramana has assured that the Supreme Court circular on using asking lawyers to use desktop and laptops over mobile phones is only meant as an advise for attending court proceedings.

In case any lawyer does not have a Laptop/Desktop, he/she can attend the proceeding through the mobile phone," a SCBA  press statement says.

On the heels of CJI N.V. Ramana's displeasure over use of mobile phones and the subsequent circular that was issued by the Supreme Court suggesting use of laptop to attend virtual hearings, the legal fraternity had been raising concerns on the practical difficulties that may follow if the circular is put into practice.

Many members of the legal profession started voicing out how the circular fails to take into account the financial difficulties faced by lawyers practicing in the lower courts. A struggling lawyer, for instance, may not have the necessary infrastructural arrangements. Although technology has advanced but it is still relatively cheaper to own a mobile phone as compared to a desktop computer. 

The economic hardships faced by lawyers are further accentuated as work has dried down in volume in the shadow of the pandemic.

In a written representation to CJI N.V. Ramana, the Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association, SCAORA elaborated briefly on ground reality that junior lawyers are facing everyday. 

Amid spiraling office and residential rents and the parallel decline in work many lawyers are finding it difficult to sustain themselves on a day to day basis.

In a LinkedIn post, noted lawyer Adv Jayant Bhatt says,

The Profession (especially litigation) does not provide us with any basic pay or financial safety net, pension schemes, health or life insurance etc.

Some lawyers have had to return to their hometown because of the in the pandemic hit legal profession. In today's pressing times, the number of lawyers struggling to make ends meet is increasing. This calls for heightened sense of compassion and tolerance for technical snags even.

The SCAORA representation hits the nail on the head. Dr Joseph Aristotle, Hon'ble secretary, SCAORA, specifically says, 

Mobiles may be the the last and only resort due to easy and cheap availability and better network options. 

Although the issue is now settled and lawyers can attend virtual hearings through mobile phones, however it is pertinent to point out that interruptions in virtual hearings can happen through desktop computers as well. Responsible use of technology amid basic tech literacy and etiquettes is the need of the hour. 

There is no dearth of cases where lawyers have been found exhibiting inappropriate and contemptuous behavior in front of the camera.