Delhi HC expresses unhappiness over advocates arguing from parks, roads in video conference hearings

New Delhi [India], February 4 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday expressed unhappiness with those advocates who were creating interference in the virtual hearing as some of them were arguing while being on roads, in parks, and even running up on stairs.
A single-judge bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh was irked due to disturbance caused at the regular interval in the proceedings conducted through video conferencing.
"According to the video conferencing rules, the concerned parties are supposed to attend the hearing from a quiet place, as they would be at least properly audible, even if not visible," the Court remarked.
The Court expressed its unhappiness after it managed to conduct a hearing only in one matter in 45 minutes in which the lawyer was not audible and most of the time went in replying to the counsel's queries whether is he audible or not.
But another Division Bench headed by Chief Justice DN Patel appreciated a lawyer, who was attending the matter from High Court parking as he has to attend some other matter in the Court which was listed under physical hearing.
Eleven benches of Delhi High Court are currently conducting physical hearing and the rest are conducting the virtual hearing.
The virtual hearing in courts started in March 2020 due to the rise in COVID-19 infections in the national capital.