Inequality created by lack of access to technology must be removed: CJI
Nagpur: Online functioning of courts, necessitated due to the coronavirus pandemic, created an unintended inequality as some people did not have access to digital technology, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde said on Saturday.
However, he was proud that courts in the country kept functioning amid the pandemic, he said.
The CJI was speaking after inaugurating the Nyay Kaushal e-Resource Centre and a virtual court for the Maharashtra transport department at the Judicial Officers Training Institute here.
The Nyay Kaushal Centre is the first e-resource centre in the country providing the facility of e-filing cases in any court in the country, officials said.
CJI Bobde said that while the courts continued to function after the outbreak of coronavirus, the access to justice became dependent on technology
It created an obvious distinction between those who could afford the technology and those who could not and this created unintended inequality, he said.
"I am told by the chairman of Bar council of India and other members that some advocates suffered so much that they had to switch to selling vegetables and there were reports that some wanted to end their careers and some wanted to end life," he said.
Therefore it was important to make technology available everywhere, he said.
Some states have introduced mobile vans which provide Wi-Fi connectivity which litigants and lawyers can use, he noted.
"We must remove these inequalities and that I think is going to be our next emphasis. This E-Kendra, these two facilities we are inaugurating today, is a step in that direction," the CJI said.
Many more centres will be opened and "this has to be done on war footing" to remove the inequality created by lack of access to technology, he said.
Pointing out another problem the online functioning has created, the CJI said that junior lawyers say that earlier they could get work when they attended the court and got noticed, which does not happen when courts function online.
"They are not being exposed to the litigation as only the senior lawyer can be seen on the screen and due to lack of exposure their professional chances are receding," he said.
"There is a famous statement about access to justice -- it should not be like Ritz hotel, it should be open to all," he said.
The CJI also spoke about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) would change litigation and the judicial system.
The AI makes it possible to search for information in a vast database within seconds, he said.
He also expressed concerns about the disposal of motor accident claims, saying about 30 percent of pending cases in all high courts are of motor accidents claims.
With Artificial Intelligence, these cases can be dealt with speedily, he said.
He also said that the police should devise new methods of serving a summons in cases under the negotiatible instruments act because delay in issuing summons is a major problem in these matters.
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Bengal: Over 55 pc turnout till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of 2 assembly seats
Kolkata (PTI): Over 55 per cent turnout was recorded till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of two assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, an official said.
Voting was underway more or less peacefully at 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, where the EC ordered repoll a day ago, following reports of electoral malpractices.
However, at booth number 179 at Chanda Primary School of Diamond Harbour seat, the Trinamool Congress alleged that a specially abled voter and his mother were harassed by central forces. The alleged incident sparked protests by party workers and locals.
The TMC claimed that the voter's mother, who had entered the booth to assist him, and her son were detained for a considerable time by central forces over alleged rule violations.
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"TMC leaders Manmohini Biswas and Pratik Ur Rahman reached the spot and led the protests, with residents terming the action unwarranted harassment. The matter has been taken care of by our officials there," an official of the poll body said.
Polling was otherwise peaceful across 15 booths in the area, he added.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding that till 1 pm, the turnout was 55.57 per cent.
Magrahat Paschim registered 56.33 per cent voter turnout, while in Diamond Harbour, it was 54.9 per cent, a poll official stated.
Voting in these two assembly constituencies was held in the second phase of the state elections on April 29.
The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and "material circumstances", the Election Commission official said.
In Magrahat Paschim, TMC's Md Samim Ahamed Molla is pitted against BJP nominee Goursundar Ghosh, while Abdul Majid Halder of the Congress and ISF candidate Abdul Aziz Al Hassan are also in the fray.
TMC candidate Panna Lal Halder is contesting against Dipak Kumar Halder of the BJP in the Diamond Harbour seat. Goutam Bhattacharya of the Congress and CPI(M)'s Samar Naiya are among other candidates.
The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gupta, to fact-check the allegations from the ground.
The poll panel will decide on repolling in the Falta assembly constituency on Saturday.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held in two phases -- April 23 and April 29 -- amid unprecedented security arrangements.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
