Senior Advocate P Wilson requests Supreme Court to continue virtual hearings till regional benches are established

Senior Advocate P Wilson on Monday urged the Supreme Court to continue hearing cases through the virtual mode till regional benches of the Supreme Court are established..The Senior Counsel appeared before a Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant, saying, "I request Your Lordships to continue this virtual hearing till regional benches. I can see the diversity!".The Member of Parliament has batted for the setting up of regional benches of the Supreme Court on several occasions. He raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha in 2019, saying that the move would improve the judge-to-population ratio in India.“Presently, the ratio of number of Supreme Court Judges to the population of the country and the docket of the Court is miniscule. For total population of 133.92 crores we have strength of 34 Judges only.“Then Union Law Minister RS Prasad had responded, in letters addressed to Wilson and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko, that regional benches of the Supreme Court could not be set up due to Constitutional obstacles and given that a related issue was pending before the Supreme Court in the National Court of Appeal case."The idea of a separate Bench of Supreme Court outside Delhi has not found favour with the Supreme Court of India. Attorney Generals of India, from time to time, were also consulted and they had also opposed the idea of establishment of Regional Benches of the Supreme Court," Prasad had added..In December 2020, Wilson addressed a letter to Prasad urging the government to introduce a Bill so that Article 130 of the Constitution could be amended to provide for permanent regional benches of the Supreme Court at New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata..In July 2021, Wilson proposed the amendment through a private member Bill dubbed the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The Statement of Objects and Reasons for the Bill referred to difficulties faced by litigants outside Delhi in accessing the Supreme Court. At present, access to the Supreme Court is restricted to only those with the economic means to travel to Delhi and afford a lawyer in the capital, Wilson had highlighted..Wilson also wrote to current Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju shortly after his appointment, calling for the Central government's support to pass laws for setting up regional benches of the Supreme Court, amongst other concerns. .[Read a live account of the hearing here]