District judiciary will soon be using WhatsApp groups

Decision taken by SHC to ensure attendance of witnesses for speedy completion of trials

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed all the district judiciary heads in the province to start using the instant-messaging mobile phone application, WhatsApp, to ensure attendance of the witnesses for speedy completion of trials.

Judicial sources said SHC Chief Justice (CJ) Ahmed Ali M Sheikh issued these directives in letters issued to all the district and sessions judges in the province. They said the initiative for use of the popular texting, voice and video messages application has been taken as part of the 'long-term measures' under the National Judicial Policy 2009.



According to the letters written by the SHC's Member Inspection Team-II (MIT-II), CJ Sheikh has directed that in order to deal with the issue of non-appearance of the witnesses and to update the senior officials, assistance can be taken by forming a WhatsApp group in each district at the discretion of the relevant district and sessions judges.

For the functioning of these WhatsApp groups, it was proposed that the relevant district and sessions judge will be added in the groups. The administrator of the groups will either be selected from amongst the judges or will be the incharge of information technology department of the relevant district.

It was further proposed that the administrator will add all the important stakeholders in the groups, such as the deputy inspector-general of police, the senior superintendent of police, the deputy commissioner, the district public prosecutor, the police surgeon, jail superintendents, court police SP and security SP.



Through these groups, the required information and directions will be sent by the members of the groups for information and compliance through the online process, the letter added. This information will be transmitted to the senior officials in the departments concerned so that they are aware of the directives issued to them by the courts and its compliance.

According to the MIT-II, the CJ had agreed that this modus operandi can be implemented in all the districts throughout Sindh at the option of the district and sessions judges. "The introduction of this system will not upset the prevailing legal procedural system," the letter reads.

The CJ has further ordered to submit progress reports from all the district and sessions judges within a month of the launching of these WhatsApp groups, so that improvement can be assessed. Therefore, all the district and sessions judges have been asked to submit reports on the efficacy of forming such WhatsApp groups to the court. The high court also called suggestions from the district and sessions judges for the purpose to make the system more effective and impressive.