CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday opened 10 more virtual courts taking the total number to 30 and covering all districts. Acting Chief Justice BR Sarangi inaugurated them in virtual mode from Cuttack in the presence of all other judges. The 10 virtual high courts were inaugurated at Bargarh, Boudh, Deogarh, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Sonepur.
Virtual courts facilitate litigants and their lawyers to appear before the high court from their respective districts without coming all the way to Cuttack. The virtual high courts also facilitate the listing of cases including mentioning before the court in virtual mode, scrutiny of e-filed cases, removal of defects, numbering of the cases and submission of applications for and issuance of certified copies of the orders and judgments.
Speaking on the occasion, the Acting Chief Justice exhorted lawyers across the state to make the best use of the virtual high courts in their respective districts for filing cases and making submissions during hearings instead of coming all the way to the high court in Cuttack. The ACJ said Odisha has become a role model in the field of virtual high court for other states in the country. Justice KR Mohapatra, in his welcome address, said by the opening of the virtual high courts the distance between the litigants and the high court has reduced “like anything.”
Earlier in the first phase, the Orissa High Court had started virtual high courts at Sambalpur, Balangir, Rourkela, Bhawanipatna, Jeypore, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Balasore and Bhadrak on February 3. In the second phase, virtual high courts were opened at Angul, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kandhamal (Phulbani), Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj (Baripada), Nayagarh and Sundargarh.