Pandemic triggered online hearings modernizing India's decades old courts
India's courts have gone digital since the pandemic, swapping crowded courtrooms for online hearings.
What began as a quick fix is now the new normal, making it easier for people to attend cases from anywhere.
While tech glitches and learning new tools are still hurdles, this shift is modernizing a system that hadn't changed in decades.
Virtual hearings widen access, invite awkwardness
Virtual hearings mean anyone can tune in, like when the YouTube video of the Supreme Court's R G Kar rape-murder case has been viewed 364,000 times since it was uploaded in August 2024, something impossible before.
But going digital has also brought some awkward moments, like a senior advocate logging into a virtual hearing of the Gujarat High Court, beer mug in hand, or officials getting too casual during sessions.
Still, virtual courts have improved access and transparency, if we keep working out the kinks.