Parliament Question: Enforcement of virtual courts and hybrid hearings

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 414 ANSWERED ON - 02/04/2026 ENFORCEMENT OF VIRTUAL COURTS AND HYBRID HEARINGS *414. SHRI VIVEK K. TANKHA:

Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state:

(a) in view of significant public expenditure on e-Courts and video-conferencing (VC) infrastructure and binding Supreme Court directions mandating VC/hybrid hearings, whether steps are taken to ensure uniform implementation across all the courts;

(b) the reasons why High Courts continue to follow divergent and restrictive VC practices despite the mandate;

(c) the details of measures being taken to ensure assured uptime, technical quality and litigant confidence;

(d) the reasons why fragmented High Court-wise vendor contracts are permitted, defeating interoperability and economies of scale; and

(e) the details of systemic deficiencies flagged by the Bar and litigants which are being addressed and within what timelines? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House. *** 1STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) IN RESPECT OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 414 FOR REPLY ON 02.04.2026 REGARDING ‘ENFORCEMENT OF VIRTUAL COURTS AND HYBRID HEARINGS’

(a) to (e): The e-Courts Mission Mode Project is being implemented in a phased manner across the country with the objective of strengthening the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the judicial system. The eCommittee, Supreme Court of India is the governing body that oversees the eCourts project and provides policy planning, strategic direction and guidance to the project for effective implementation of all components. The Chief Justice of India is the Patron-in-Chief of the eCommittee and currently, it is chaired by the second senior most judge of the Supreme Court of India.

During Phase I of the project, video conferencing (VC) facility was operationalized between 493 court complexes and 347 corresponding jails. Under Phase II, VC facilities were enabled between 3240 court complexes and corresponding 1272 jails. Under Phase III, Rs.

228.48 crore have been earmarked for enhancing and upgrading the available VC infrastructure in various establishments, including courts, jail and hospitals. Virtual hearings enhance access to justice by enabling lawyers, litigants and witnesses to participate remotely, saving time and costs, especially for those in remote locations. A total of 4.01 crore VC hearings were conducted in High Courts and District Courts till 28.02.2026.

To ensure uniform, effective and secure use of VC facilities, the Supreme Court formulated ‘Model Rules for Video Conferencing for Courts’ which were implemented in all the High Courts and District Courts. Thereafter, revised model ‘Video Conferencing (Nyaya Shruti) Rules 2025’ were formulated by the National Judicial Academy and approved by the Supreme Court. These rules were circulated amongst all High Courts for adoption. Currently, 21 High Courts have notified the Nyaya Shruti Rules to ensure uniform implementation of VC facilities and minimise divergent practices. While these model rules were issued to promote uniformity, the modalities governing VC and hybrid hearings are framed by the respective High Courts in exercise of their administrative powers, which may lead to procedural variations based on local requirements.

Under Phase-III of eCourts project, emphasis has been placed on strengthening bandwidth, improving platform stability and providing technical support to enhance uptime, service quality and litigant confidence. To strengthen VC capabilities across courts, 99.5% sites have been connected through Wide Area Network (WAN) with 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps bandwidth speed.

2As informed by the eCommittee, Supreme Court of India, the procurement for VC infrastructure is carried out in accordance with applicable rules of the High Courts. The issues flagged by the Bar and litigants are periodically reviewed by the eCommittee in consultation with High Courts and corrective measures are implemented in a phased manner as per approved project timelines. Further, functioning of VC facilities is an administrative matter which falls strictly within the purview and domain of the High Courts and Central Government has no direct role to play in the matter.

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