Shillong, Nov 9 (IANS): With an aim to effectuate and broaden the implementation of the open court concept, live streaming of proceedings in the Meghalaya High Court commenced on Wednesday, officials said.

Live streaming of court proceedings is also being done in the Gauhati High Court.

Meghalaya High Court Registrar General, Ehboklang Kharumnuid, said that the high court is functioning in a hybrid mode where both physical and virtual hearings are taking place.

Advocates and litigants are at liberty to attend court proceedings either in person or virtually through video conferencing.

The hybrid system has diluted the inability to access justice due to distance. It also saves time and diminishes the number of unwarranted adjournments sought on the ground that one cannot appear as one is attending court in another jurisdiction, Kharumnuid said in a statement.

He said that with the commencement of live streaming, litigants and the general public will not have to spend the entire day in court to see how their matter is proceeding, but instead can view the court proceedings from the comfort of their offices or homes.

Also, it will give the commin man a better understanding of the functioning of the court.

Young lawyers would get the opportunity of witnessing senior advocates from other parts of the country participate on the virtual platform, which would raise the standard and the aspirations of the youth, Kharumnuid said.

He added that live streaming of court proceedings is available on YouTube and the link is available on the official website of the high court.

In Agartala, a senior official of Tripura High Court said that under the e-court scheme of the Supreme Court, live streaming, video conferencing, and other virtual modes would gradually start in all the high courts and other important courts in the country.

"Reaching out to all people, especially those living in the remote and far-flung areas, saving time and cost of the justice delivery system are the main objectives of the e-court scheme," the official told IANS, refusing to be named.

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