After live streaming, Gujarat High Court opens account on Telegram for daily updates

After starting live streaming proceeding from the court of Chief Justice on YouTube on experiment basis, the Gujarat High Court on Friday said that it is launching its own channel on messaging app Telegram to give daily updates from March 1.

A press note issued late on Friday night from the office of high court Registrar General stated, "Based on the vision, guidance and directions of Chief Justice of High Court of Gujarat, Justice Vikram Nath, with the objective of furthering the ease and convenience for the advocates, litigants and all the stakeholders, an additional platform for information dissemination i.e. an official Telegram Channel of the High Court, is being started."

It said that all daily updates such as notices, circulars, complete causelists, YouTube live streaming, among others, which are updated on its website, will be uploaded on this channel from next month. "By way of this additional mode of providing updates, the channel subscribers will be able to keep themselves updated with latest information without having to frequently check the website for the same. This would also take care of the situations when for any reasons, the the aforesaid updates on the website are inaccessible," the note stated.

It said that in future, "more services through Telegram platform may be initiated like advocate wise causelists, case status, orders, judgments and other case related information." Earlier in October, the high court started on trial basis live streaming of its first court, a division bench, headed by Chief Justice Vikram Nath on YouTube which is accessible to all. The Telegram account as well as live streaming on YouTube are said to be one-of-its-kind decisions.

"In order to ascertain the feasibility and workability of the available options for the same, this is to direct that, court proceedings of the Division Bench No. 1 (First Court) of the High Court will be telecast live, purely on experimental basis, from today the 26th October, 2020 on Youtube, link of which would be available from the homepage of the website of the High Court," the court had announced back then.

"With a view to effectuating and broadening the implementation of Open Court concept even during the virtual hearings of the Court, this High Court has already taken up on administrative side, to work out the modalities that can be adopted for giving access to anyone who wishes to watch the Court proceedings in live. Aspect of ensuring smooth functioning of the Benches and distraction free virtual hearing while making open such access, are being deliberated upon," the press release issued by the court had stated.