CJI considers only virtual hearing in SC due to pollution, says he felt unwell when he went for a walk

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, considering the possibility of shifting Supreme Court hearings to only virtual mode due to severe air pollution, said he felt unwell when he went for an hour-long walk the day before.

Kant said he would take a decision after consulting the bar, while the idea of ​​allowing virtual hearings for lawyers above 60 years of age had come up in the court.

The CJI made the comments at the beginning of the hearing on petitions challenging the Election Commission’s decision to conduct special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and other states – when senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Election Commission, sought exemption from personal appearance.

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“I have a problem of overcrowding…Please allow my colleague to take notes. I wish to appear through video conferencing on the next date,” Dwivedi said. He said that he was facing some problems after going for a morning walk.

He said, “I seek leave from your Lordship to be allowed to appear online, I am not well.”

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal agreed and said, “At our age, we are breathing this unpleasant air when the air quality index (AQI) is 400-500.” The CJI said, “Yesterday I went for a walk for an hour. I was not feeling well.” Then, the possibility of excluding lawyers aged 60 years and above from personal hearing was considered.

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“If I take any decision, we will first take the bar into confidence. We will look at the difficulties faced by lawyers and litigants… If we get any proposal, we will do something. I will meet office-bearers in the evening and take some steps.”

At present, the apex court functions through hybrid mode where proceedings are conducted both physically and virtually.

Air quality in the national capital was recorded in the “very poor” category on Wednesday morning with an AQI reading of 335.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, between 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, between 101 and 200 “moderate”, between 201 and 300 “poor”, between 301 and 400 “very poor”, and between 401 and 500 “severe”.

The city has been battling poor air quality for the past few weeks.