The Gujarat High Court has officially extended its hybrid mode of hearing cases, initially introduced as a pilot project, to encompass all its courtrooms. This decision comes after the successful implementation of the hybrid system for four of its division benches over the past few months.
Under the guidance and directives of the Chief Justice and Judges of the Standing Committee of the High Court, the hybrid hearing will be consistently conducted for all the remaining Division Benches, Single Judge Benches, and Larger Benches that are constituted occasionally. This new mode of operation will be effective from the causelists scheduled for 29th September 2023 and beyond.
The High Court had initially embarked on this hybrid journey in June 2023, introducing it as a ‘pilot project’ for four division benches. Given the success of this initiative, the system is now being expanded to all courtrooms. A notification issued by the Registrar General stated,
“The present pilot implementation exercise of hybrid mode of hearing of cases for the four division benches of the High Court has been successful and smoothly going on for a couple of months. Considering the same and further in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court of India, the ongoing pilot implementation exercise of hybrid hearing of cases is now implemented on a regular basis for all the remaining division benches, Single-Judge benches (and also Larger benches constituted from time to time) of the High Court of Gujarat for all days starting with the Cause-list for September 29, 2023 onwards.”
For those involved in listed matters, both advocates and parties-in-person now have the flexibility to express their preference for hybrid hearings online. They can do so by accessing the ONLINE HYBRID HEARING OPTION webpage. All other operational procedures and facilities will be in line with the Standard Operating Procedure detailed in the High Court’s circular No. ITC/98/2023 dated 13/06/2023.
This move by the Gujarat High Court signifies a progressive step towards adapting to modern methods of judicial proceedings, ensuring efficiency and flexibility for all stakeholders.
