VIDEOCONFERENCING LEGAL SERVICES

 

Videoconferencing and India

 

Videoconferencing in Indian courts was introduced in 2003. By March 2008, VCInsight reported that using videoconferencing for witness examination in court was now wide spread in India courts and prisons.  Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Bihar now use what they call tele-justice.

Additionally over 40 jails in and around Mumbai are connected to district level courts through videoconferencing. Andhra Pradesh was among the first states to connect 15 district courts with prisons in the state through videoconferencing facilities.

Videoconferencing has been used to record witness statements and the deposition of those waiting trial in jail. It removes the need to bring the prisoner to the court, saving on the huge costs of taking them there and it has helped to reduce the backlog in judicial cases for the shortage of policemen to escort the prisoners to court which in turn led to delays in the trial process. 

 

This increase in use meant that the Family courts,  matrimonial cases and overseas cases were being heard by most judges, and the back-log of cases was being rapidly reduced. 

Meanwhile in Bangalore, a multipoint videoconference was used by the Karnataka High Court  with a further roll out within the next 12 months in Bidar, Raichur, Chitradurga, Mandya, Tumkur, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Madikeri, Chikmagalur and Kolar.