Pakistan's SC goes digital with first ever video-link based system

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday made history by holding a hearing in a case via e-Court - a system based on video-link connectivity. The Supreme Court said in a statement that it started hearing of cases through the e-Court system.

"It is for the first time in the judicial history of Pakistan that cases in the Supreme Court of Pakistan are heard through video link connectivity," it said. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and comprising Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel formally initiated the proceedings of cases through the e-Court system at principal seat Islamabad and the Supreme Court Karachi registry.

The advocates of Karachi, whose cases were fixed for hearing at Supreme Court Branch Registry Karachi, argued their cases through a video-link and the bench at principal seat Islamabad heard and decided the cases. Justice Khosa while hearing the first case through the technology remarked that a big milestone has been achieved in the judicial history of Pakistan that case is been heard through the latest technology.

"The facility will benefit lawyers and litigants to save them time and money," he said. He also extended his thanks to IT Committee of Supreme Court headed by Justice Mushir Alam and comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and other stakeholders for their untiring efforts that made this project successful. It is believed that the use of IT would help to reduce cost and time in deciding cases.