Ten video-conferencing cabins were set up at the Calcutta High Court circuit bench at Port Blair, making it the first circuit bench in the country to be equipped with such a facility. The sound-proof cabins were virtually inaugurated by Calcutta HC Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam in the presence of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya, Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury, Justice Madhuresh Prasad and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya.

"It's the first of its kind in the country where a circuit bench has 10 VC cabins located in the same court complex," the CJ said during the inauguration. An official pointed out that the facility was a step towards the optimum use of technology by the judiciary to ensure justice was accessible to people in a timely manner.

The cabins will not only help advocates who wish to appear before the Calcutta HC, Supreme Court and other high courts virtually, but will also be effective for litigants who wish to appear in person but cannot afford to travel to Kolkata or Delhi. "Litigants who want to appear in person may not have the facility at home. When they travel to Port Blair, they can use this facility or be present beside the advocate representing them," the Chief Justice said.

CJ Sivagnanam further pointed out that advocates practising in Port Blair would no longer have to travel to Kolkata to appear for their cases. If the person was to appear virtually, they would rush back from the court complex to their chamber or appear sitting in their car. With the new facility, they can now appear comfortably from the VC cabin, which is also equipped with high-speed internet.

The CJ said that during the Covid pandemic, people, especially those living on islands, suffered as life had come to a virtual standstill. During the devastating period, the Calcutta HC kept their gateway open for advocates and litigants to approach the high court through virtual mode to ensure justice was neither delayed nor denied.

The proposal for these cabins took some time, the Chief Justice said, but ultimately became a reality with the Andaman and Nicobar administration sanctioning more than Rs 36 lakh for it. CJ Sivagnanam compared the services to ones existing in the Supreme Court and other high courts, like Madras HC. "At Madras HC, the bar association built cabins, but the advocates had to pay a nominal amount to use them," he said.