Overview
- On Wednesday May 27 a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant disposed of Shobha Gupta v. Union of India and declined to order mandatory online hearings, instead making an earnest administrative appeal to the Bar.
- The court said it cannot legally force advocates to attend only by video conferencing and recorded representations from the Bar about access and logistics as a key reason for that limit.
- The Supreme Court has already issued administrative measures that include dedicated videoconference days for hearings and the CJI has written to High Court chief justices asking them to increase virtual proceedings to save fuel.
- The petitioner pointed to heavy fuel use in producing prisoners for court—claiming more than 250 buses move detainees daily—and the bench noted that some High Courts, including Punjab and Haryana, already permit prisoner VC appearances and that other courts can be reviewed administratively.
- If more lawyers and courts adopt video hearings the move could cut fuel use and reduce burdens on transport and custody systems, but success will hinge on Bar buy-in, wider VC access, and local High Court implementation.