CJI Khanna rejects plea for full online shift of SC amid severe pollution gripping Delhi-NCR

PTC News Desk: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna denied a request by senior lawyers on Tuesday to move the Supreme Court to an entirely online system in response to the severe air pollution crisis gripping Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

The request came as the region's air quality reached dangerous levels. Thousands of people visit the Supreme Court every day.

The first court's morning session featured a discussion about pollution. Kapil Sibal, senior counsel and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, emphasised the urgency of the problem. "Pollution is getting out of control," he stated.

Senior attorney Gopal Sankaranarayanan echoed Sibal, pointing out that the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which requires strict anti-pollution measures, does not apply to the judiciary. "GRAP 4 has been triggered, but it does not cover courts. There are at least 10,000 people, including lawyers, clerks, and other staff, visiting this court daily, in addition to the vehicles entering the premises. Let this court move to a completely online system,” he said.

CJI Khanna answered, saying he was aware that GRAP 4 measures had been implemented. “See, we need the cooperation of the lawyers too. We have already told the lawyers that they can request to attend hearings online.”

CJI Khanna further stated that the Supreme Court has instructed judges to accommodate requests for online hearings wherever possible. "We have told all judges here to allow virtual hearings wherever possible," he stated, thus refusing to enforce a blanket online system.