Corona’s wake-up call: 14 Virtual Court Rooms opened in Moga by using VidyoMobile app
Moga, April 24, 2020: Inspired by setting up of virtual court room and hearing of cases by Hon’ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana, the Sessions Division Moga has also set up virtual court rooms in the entire District including its two Sub Divisions, by using VidyoMobile app, a step which was essential to ensure the court premises do not contribute to the spread of the coronavirus disease.
Ranjit Singh Dhaliwal, Advocate, President District Bar Association, Moga stated that in order to avoid the visit of lawyers, investigating Officers and litigants to the Court premises, Sessions Judge Moga, Manish Singal has opened 14 Virtual Court Rooms by using the Video application.
He added that by using this application all the stakeholders such as judicial officers, investigating officers, defence counsels, state counsels log on to the virtual court room when the case is taken up for hearing and the same is decided after hearing the counsels. According to him the urgent civil as well as criminal matters including stay applications, bail applications, anticipatory and regular bail applications, protection petition, sapurdari applications were being disposed through Virtual Courts.
He said that on April 23, 35 cases including 25 bail applications were disposed. One of the bail matter was disposed by hearing the counsel who was sitting in his car and another bail application was heard while counsel was in his home at Faridkot. He further informed that the Sessions Judge, Moga had taken up the matter with SSP Moga to sensitize the police officials to download the Vidyo Application on their mobile phones so that the investigating officers could connect with the virtual court Room while sitting in the Police Stations.
He informed that disposal of urgent cases by using Video Application was widely appreciated by the lawyers, Public Prosecutors, Police Officials as well as litigants, but the only problem was with regard to the bandwidth of the internet at the police stations which was required to be increased. He stated that the directions issued by Hon’ble High Court to use Vidyo Mobile app to dispose the urgent matters would go a long way in dispensation of justice at Moga and during curfew and lock-down period.