Virtual court for special situations only: Law Minister

Law Minister Anisul Huq on Sunday said the virtual court is not an alternative to the normal judicial process. It is only for exceptional circumstances.
He said this while addressing the online inaugural ceremony of the 40th Foundation Training Course for assistant judges and judicial magistrates by the Judicial Administration Training Institute (JATI), a press release said.
JATI Director General Justice Khondker Musa Khaled presided over the programme. The online function was also addressed by Law Secretary Golam Sarwar.
Necessary training will be provided to lawyers alongside with the judges for the smooth running of the virtual court, the Minister said.
The Law Minister also said the government in order to activate the judicial process since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis in the country enacted the Adalat Kartik Tathiya Projukti Bebohar Bill 2020? (Court's IT use Bill 2020) within the quickest possible time, which is a groundbreaking act to make judiciary modern and dynamic.
Describing the benefits of applying a virtual court system, the Law Minister said courts across the country have disposed of 95,523 bail petitions and granted bail to 49,762 accused in 35 working days from May 11 to July 2 through this process.
The foundation course for assistant judges and judicial magistrates was launched on January 1, but was suspended on March 23 due to the pandemic in the country. The training course was inaugurated again on Sunday to be completed online.