In light of the pandemic situation, the Bombay high court (HC) has directed the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) to commence online filing and virtual hearing of cases and provide a report on measures to ameliorate grievances of applicants by Tuesday, November 3. The directions were prompted after an advocate approached the HC and complained that MAT was not functioning even though other tribunals had commenced virtual hearings.
A division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni, while hearing the petition filed by advocate Yogesh Prakash Morbale in October, was informed by advocates Vinod Sangvikar and Yashodeep Deshmukh that since the lockdown had been announced, MAT had stopped functioning, and its official website was not updated regularly. In light of the pandemic, the advocates sought directions to MAT to commence online filings and hearings on an immediate basis and to develop and update the official website to make it user friendly.
While making submissions on behalf of Morbale, Sangvikar and Deshmukh had submitted that despite the unprecedented Covid-19 situation and subsequent restrictions, most courts, tribunals and other adjudicating authorities had started functioning on virtual platforms. However, MAT had not started video-conference hearings and online filing of pleas.
The petitioner also referred to HC’s decision of July, wherein it had directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to hear appeals filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act through a virtual platform in each ward. Morbale’s petition further stated that as he was in Kolhapur district, he was not in a position to come personally to file matters before MAT considering the risk due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
The petitioner’s advocates stated that it is difficult for an advocate like the petitioner to continue his or her practice due to lack of online access. The petition further stated that the situation had arisen due to the apathy/inaction on the part of the administration of MAT in making available infrastructure/facilities for e-filing and video-conference hearings.
After hearing the submissions and in the absence of a MAT representative, the bench said in the order, “In the meanwhile, the registrar of MAT shall look into the grievances expressed by the petitioner in this writ petition and submit a report before this court, suggesting measures to ameliorate such grievance.” The petition will next be heard on November 3.
Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/bombay-hc-asks-maharashtra-administrative-tribunal-to-start-online-filing-hearing-of-cases/story-tnRcOCR6iK7Sb6kPCqSKjL.html