# CJI touts virtual courts as inequality persists across India

2026-08-07T18:09:11+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Chief Justice Surya Kant said technology enables courts to fulfil constitutional responsibilities more effectively, through digitisation and virtual hearings. He highlighted benefits for litigants and democratisation of the legal profession, speaking at an SCAORA event on August 8. However, Barandbench reports that India's virtual courts system remains deeply uneven. Six years after the pandemic order, litigants in metropolitan commercial courts get dedicated bandwidth and trained staff, while undertrials in district courts often face adjourned hearings due to broken webcams, borrowed laptops, and patchy connectivity. The e-Committee's own data confirms a stark spread between best and worst-performing states, making access to justice dependent on pin code.

## Coverage

- barandbench.com <https://www.barandbench.com/columns/two-indias-one-judiciary-the-uneven-rise-of-virtual-courts>
- timesnownews.com <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/cji-surya-kant-says-technology-enables-courts-to-fulfil-constitutional-responsibility-more-effectively-helped-level-playing-field-article-155383243>

Tags: Access to justice, digital divide, e-courts, judicial infrastructure, Supreme Court, virtual courts
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