Jharkhand High Court started live streaming proceedings on Wednesday, joining states like Gujarat, Odisha and Bihar that have already taken the initiative which is a boon for litigants in the time of pandemic-prompted restrictions.

Two rooms housing courts of Justices Aparesh Kumar Singh, K.P. Deo, Anubha Rawat Choudhary and Ananda Sen were hooked up to live stream hearings, links of which were made available on the court's official website.

Registrar-general Muhammad Shakir said the initiative was started on a pilot basis and would be extended to the other rooms of the court based on the response. “Following Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan’s directives for more transparency, the high court began this move," he told the media.

Appreciating the move, state bar council member Hemant Kumar Shikarwar said that while virtual hearings of court proceedings were on since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak last year, the latest move of the high court to show proceedings live was a progressive step to help people monitor proceedings. “For litigants, who can’t attend all the hearings, it’s a welcome move,” he said, adding that in the virtual mode of hearing, proceedings were only restricted between a court, the judge and the appellant.

“With live streaming, people, including clients, will be able to log on to the high court website to see the proceedings. It’s a win-win situation for all,” he said.