PIL seeks video conference facility in lower courts

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday issued notices to the Central government and the states of Punjab,Haryana and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Viresh Shandilya,resident of Punjabi Bagh,Patiala. The petitioner has sought directions to all parties to make available necessary equipment for video conferencing in the subordinate courts in Punjab,Haryana and Chandigarh,and for issuance of further directions to proceed with their trials in trial courts through video conferencing instead of their personal appearance. The petitioner has further sought directions that in the ongoing Burail jailbreak case,the accused be produced through video conferencing. Referring to news items published recently highlighting the presentation of Paramjit Singh Bheora,accused in the Burail jailbreak case,in a local court of Chandigarh by Delhi Police,the petitioner has submitted that a lot of harassment was caused to the general public as traffic was stopped.