DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Lokayukta, the anti-corruption watchdog, in Haryana will now adopt video conferencing facilities for its proceedings.

The directive by the government comes as part of a broader state government initiative aimed at leveraging audio-visual electronic means for all official interactions, aligning with new central criminal laws and Supreme Court guidelines.

A letter in this regard has been issued by Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi to all administrative secretaries, heads of departments, board/corporation managing directors, divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, sub-divisional officers, and the Registrar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, emphasizing strict compliance with these new instructions.

The decision to integrate video conferencing facilities is rooted in the enabling provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Specifically, Section 336 (evidence of public servants, experts, police officers in certain cases) and Section 530 (trial and proceedings to be held in electronic mode) explicitly promote the use of audio-visual electronic means for all proceedings, an official statement said here on Monday.

"Furthermore, the Supreme Court's ruling in Civil Appeal No. 23-24 of 2024, titled 'The State of Uttar Pradesh & Others Vs. Association of Retired Supreme Court and High Court Judges at Allahabad & Others', has formulated a Standard Operating Procedure that actively encourages the appearance of government officials through video conferencing," it said.

(editor@dailyworld.in)