Bookshelves make way for lawyers in new look courtrooms of the Supreme Court

Doesn't imply less reliance on books from now onwards, jokes Chief Justice of India Dr D.Y. Chandrachud.

—

The Supreme Court of India underwent a makeover during the summer vacations. There have been changes galore in the Chief Justice's court and the courtrooms presided over by Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna.

In the three courtrooms, bookshelves hugging the sidewalls of the courtroom and containing law reports dating back to the 1950s, have been removed to create more space for lawyers. The bookshelves were occupying a huge chunk of the courtroom's space, often resulting in the courtroom becoming jam-packed.

Large audio-visual screens have been installed in the first three courtrooms facing the respective Benches. Digital screens facing the lawyers have also been installed in these courtrooms.

A document camera has also been provided in the courtrooms to streamline the sharing of document content. This advanced camera enables the clear capture and real-time display of physical documents, facilitating seamless sharing of important legal materials, evidence and exhibits. This technology simplifies the presentation of visual information and enhances the accessibility of courtroom proceedings

The moment a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dr D.Y. Chandrachud assembled this morning after summer vacations, the CJI informed the advocates that they would have more space now with all the books gone. 

In a lighter vein, the CJI said it should not be implied that the judiciary will rely less on books from now onwards. 

He also revealed that the first five courtrooms have been made Wi-Fi enabled. Yesterday, the Supreme Court administration issued a circular that as part of the court's e-initiatives, free Wi-Fi will be made available to advocates, litigants, media persons and other stakeholders visiting the Supreme Court.

The CJI requested advocates to give him feedback on the changes made in the courtroom infrastructure, adding that all courtrooms will resemble his courtroom soon.

The launch of eSCR, advocate appearance portal and online right to information (RTI) portal, and the implementation of e-office module in the registry are some of the other important e-initiatives that have been undertaken by the Supreme Court under CJI Dr Chandrachud.