Justice Sanjeev Kumar Presides Over Virtual Bench from Gurez

SRINAGAR: Justice Sanjeev Kumar, the senior-most Judge of the High Court of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh, presided over Division Bench proceedings from Gurez through virtual mode, marking a historic step in breaking geographical barriers to justice delivery.

Justice Kumar, on an official visit as Executive Chairman of the JK Legal Services Authority to review NALSA-2024’s child-friendly scheme, heard cases from Munsiff Court Gurez. He joined the Division Bench alongside Justice Sanjay Parihar, who was sitting in the Jammu wing of the High Court.

A total of 50 cases – 45 from Jammu wing and 5 from Kashmir wing – were taken up through the digital platform, with lawyers participating virtually from both Srinagar and Jammu. The day’s cause list was fully exhausted, demonstrating the efficiency of the system.

The initiative, enabling court proceedings from one of the most remote tehsils in Bandipora district, has been widely welcomed by local stakeholders. Justice Kumar urged lawyers, litigants and defence personnel in Gurez to make full use of the facility, and directed the Central Project Coordinator e-Courts, Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi, to ensure seamless e-filing, timely display of case information, and real-time access to cause lists.

He also ordered the immediate installation of a kiosk at Munsiff Court Gurez to provide e-Court services locally. As Chairman of the High Court’s IT Committee, Justice Kumar stressed the need to strengthen infrastructure for better integration between physical and digital platforms.

The move, hailed as a landmark in technologically enabled justice, will allow lawyers to e-file cases nationwide, check case status and access cause lists remotely, connecting the cut-off border area of Gurez with courts across India and overcoming barriers of geography and snow.

Local residents and lawyers expressed gratitude for what they described as a transformative step in expanding access to justice.