Chandigarh, March 20 (IANS): Punjab and Haryana High Court's Acting Chief Justice, Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia, on Wednesday inaugurated four IT initiatives -- hybrid video conferencing in the high court and all district courts in both states and Chandigarh, free public wi-fi in high court premises, inventory management software for district courts, and neutral citation phase-II (QR code).

Computer Committee Chairperson Justice Lisa Gill, committee members, and all other Judges of the High Court were present.

The inaugural function was also attended by all District and Sessions Judges in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh through virtual mode.

Hybrid video conferencing eliminates geographical barriers, enabling participants to join court proceedings remotely and proves advantageous for individuals with disabilities or those residing in remote areas.

Moreover, the use of hybrid video conferencing streamlines the evidence recording process, minimising delays caused by scheduling conflicts, transportation issues, and courtroom congestion resulting in better management of time of the judges and legal professionals, focusing on substantive legal matters rather than administrative tasks.

Under this project, two HD digitally zoom PTZ cameras with integrated digital sound systems and 4K codec systems have been installed in each court. Furthermore, two LED screens have been installed in each court so that a party appearing remotely is visible to judges and advocates.

Dedicated video conference links have been created for each court to provide seamless court proceedings through a hybrid mode.

This facility has been implemented in all courts of the high court as well as in district courts.