Thread by @barandbench

Breaking: Supreme Court to launch app that will provide links for virtual hearings to media persons

#SupremeCourt #VirtualHearings #media

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Chief Justice of India NV Ramana to inaugurate the application for journalists. Event to commence shortly

Justices AM Khanwilkar and Hemant Gupta in attendance.
#SupremeCourt
#AccessforJournalists

Justice DY Chandrachud joins: I am slowly recovering, I need all your prayer and good wishes.

#SupremeCourt
#AccessforJournalists

Justice DY Chandrachud: I was so cautious through out. I use only digital files even then. But vaccines are very important. My media friends, please take them, if you have not. I took Covaxin

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana: Brother Khanwilkar how are you. I spoke to Justice Chandrachud today. My antibiotics will get over today. There is cough.. Its not COVID luckily but general cold and cough

CJI Ramana: Today we are introducing the app to media friends so that they don't bother coming to court. There was great concern shown by Justices Khanwilkar, Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta.

CJI: two of my brothers are suffering with COVID. So I will not take much time

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Justice Hemant Gupta: access to media to court proceedings will increase transparency. One should be careful in reporting. there is a caveat that links given to you is used binafidely and unauthorised person use it. it will not be fair to the institution

Justice Chandrachud: CJI will not say this as he is a self effacing person, after I mentioned that we should have links for journalists, the CJI responded in 3 days and he was not persuaded..it was already in action.

Justice Chandrachud: Many who made this app who are our staff tested positive, all 6 tested positive who were working on this. All of us are in this together. We hope that this facility which CJI unveils will keep you all safe. Journalists are exposed so much to outside world

Justice Chandrachud: I hope this is a part of the many steps which will be taken by CJI in the near future

Justice Khanwilkar: we are here to welcome all the press including accredited and non accredited journalists. Keeping their important association with this institution in mind, they are rendering essential services which needs to be harnessed.

Justice Khanwilkar: Institution is paying back by offering this little gift which will be cherished in the ling run which is temporary now but can be permanent in the future depending on the operational issues we encounter

CJI: transparency is the most important feature of court room proceedings. Sometimes we have restricted entry due to security issues. access to public is very important concept as rulings of the public should be known as it is know whom will it impact and whom it will not

CJI: media plays a very important role in dissemination of information. COVID has played such a havoc that we are unable to meet our family members in our own house. Shifting court to virtual platform is a difficult process.

CJI: Justices Khanwilkar, Chandrachud, Gupta and all registry officials who worked hard on this, we must thank all of them. We thought of how media will access court room proceedings and how media will cover when they cant come to court.

CJI: We came to know that media was depending on advocates to get links and cover court. Thus there was request to create a mechanism so that press could attend the hearings. The technical team who developed this app has faced many challenges.

CJI: Secretary general Mr Kalgaonkar and other officials were down with COVID. They developed this app within 7 days.

CJI: Media faces great challenge in reporting. i was a journalist for a brief time. that time we did not have car or bikes. That days we had regulations to not avail extra facilities. those days I had encountered those difficulties to report too.

CJI: small issues may arise in the beginning of a technological journey and I hope a requisite time is given to the system to expand. Errors may not be unnecessarily magnified. We are also introducing indicative mode which will summarise landmark judgments.

CJI: This will help people who wishes to know about rulings. I thank CJI Bobde for this. I am also actively considering live streaming proceedings for some courts. before this I will seek consensus from all my brother judges

CJI: . I will also set up a point person to act as coordination between media and supreme court. There are some facts. First case of COVID in court was on April 27, 2020 and 800 staff has tested positive till now. 6 senior registry officials also tested positive and 3 succumbed

CJI: everyone has been greatly affected due to the pandemic and my heart goes out to them. psychological and mental affects of COVID19 can be exhausting.

CJI: i expect media to use these resources responsibly and follow all covid protocols.

Secretary-General Sanjeev Kalgaonkar addresses: I would like to inform that SC official mobile app with access to press will shortly be available in Google Play Store. Our PR officer will provide step by step guide. We all are with you. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay home

Meeting ends.
#SupremeCourtofIndia #AccesstoJournalists

We came to know that media was depending on advocates to get links to cover Supreme Court: CJI NV Ramana at launch of virtual links app for media

report by @DebayonRoy

#SupremeCourtofIndia

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