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The Supreme Court in an order dismissed two special leave petitions, while while issuing directives to all Legal services Authority/Committees to extend the facility of video conferencing between the counsel and the accused or anyone well acquainted with the matter. Such a facility is, on the face of it, be extended when the accused in held in jail. The order was passed by a bench consisting of Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit. The bench asked all Legal Services Authority in every state for the extension of a similar facility of video conferencing, as offered by by the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.
The Supreme Court paid heed to the previous circular of the Supreme Court Legal services Authority which was issued in November, 2017 that granted the facility of video conferencing between the advocate and the convict. Referencing these directives, the counsel pleading on behalf of the accused in two criminal matters asked for an adjournment motion for conducting video conferencing. It was further pointed out that such a facility was previously made mandatory by the Supreme Court Legal Services Authority.
The two criminal matters were finally disposed on the same day. Though video conferencing could not directly be held between the counsel and the convict in the first matter, the counsel could however establish the same in the second one. The Supreme Court court applauded this initiative taken by the Supreme Court Legal Services Authority and did not hold back the praises. The Apex court further said that often the efforts of the advocates get hampered due to a alack of dialogue with the convict. This is a pertinent problem faced by counsels entrusted with matters by the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee. The court concluded, “All such attempts to facilitate dialogue between the counsel and his client would further the cause of justice and make legal said meaningful”
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