CUTTACK: After the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) raised alarm bells over use of Zoom app, the Orissa High Court on Friday decided that the application shall not be used by the Court for the purpose of hearing cases through video conferencing. The facility was allowed under the Orissa High Court e-filing and Video Conferencing Scheme, 2020 introduced on April 9 in view of exigency caused by Covid-19.
The decision was taken in the wake of issuance of relevant Government advisories regarding usage of Zoom video conferencing software.
“The Orissa High Court e-Filing and Video Conferencing Scheme, 2020 shall be read in a manner so as to exclude any reference to Zoom Software Application from its purview,” the Registrar General said in a notice. In a 16-page advisory, the Cyber Coordination Centre (CyCord) of Ministry of Home Affairs said, “Zoom is not a safe platform.” The Government warning came after India’s nodal cyber security agency - Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) cautioned against the vulnerability of the app.
The agency had pointed out that the app had significant weaknesses which can make users vulnerable to cyber attacks, including leakage of sensitive office information. Earlier, the scheme had stressed that, “Lawyers and litigants are advised to ensure availability of Vidyo or Zoom Cloud Meetings applications on their respective devices - mobile phones, laptops, desktops etc. It would be beneficial if WhatsApp application is also available in their phones.” Hardware-based video conferencing system had been installed on the premises of the High Court for those who are unable to make arrangements for appearing before Court through video conferencing applications.
Two more Covid patients recover
With two more Covid-19 patients recovering on Friday, Odisha figured among top five states which have posted highest rate of recovery in the country. Of 60 positive cases reported within the last one month, 21 persons have recovered.
While around 35 per cent (pc) of the total positive cases in the State have recovered against the national average of 13 pc, Chhattisgarh topped the chart with 69 pc followed by Kerala 64 pc and Himachal Pradesh 45 pc. Chief spokesperson Subroto Bagchi said the State has not reported a single new case in the last 48 hours. Altogether, 2,040 samples have been tested on Wednesday and Thursday and all tested negative, he added.