Judgement through video conferencing

The Judges wrapped up their files dismissing a review petition after hearing a land dispute case. The counsels stood up and bowed their heads 100 kilometers away.

In one of the first such instances in the region, the Gauhati High today passed a judgement dismissing a review petition pertaining to a land dispute from 1976, all through video conferencing.

The hearing was held amidst the constant lazing whirls of a fan (possibly) in one of the courtrooms of the Gauhati High Court. Here in Shillong, the counsels sat huddled together with temperature dipping due to the incessant rain lashing the hills for the past 24 hours.

The counsel of the litigants – Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and Holy Mother Aurobindo Ashram (HMAA) – intermittently stood up and argued their case before a giant TV screen projecting, Justice Biplab Kumar Sharma and Arun Chandra Upadhyay, lending a patient ear from Guwahati.

Senior Advocate and counsel of HMAA, VK Jindal said, after YMCA’s review petition was rejected, that such video conferencing would help Meghalaya dispose off pending cases swiftly and save time and money. “It all seemed like a normal court proceeding. There is no difference,” he said when asked about the e-Court.

The video conferencing facility was introduced on June 1 here at the Shillong bench by Chief Justice Madan B Lokur, under a new initiative to dispose off cases with the help of technology. Agartala bench was the first to introduce the facility on May 2.

In fact, the Bombay High Court confirmed the death sentence of Ajmal Kasab on February 21 through video conferencing.

Today’s case relates to an old litigation from 1976 wherein the Meghalaya government allotted the ashram’s land to YMCA and Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) without approval.

The ashram challenged the arbitrary decision of the government. In 2009, the Gauhati High court set aside the allotment of land made by the state government to YMCA and YWCA. The government was ordered to renew the patta in favour of the Ashram, Jindal said.

However, the YMCA sought a review of the High Court’s decision which was dismissed today through video conferencing.