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A number of directives have been issued by the Delhi High Court to ensure that workmen's claims are not adversely affected by a lack of infrastructure for virtual hearings at the Central Government Industrial Tribunal. According to Justice Pratibha M. Singh, who sat on a single-judge bench, Affected workers can turn to the CGIT for assistance. CGIT proceedings should not be hampered by a lack of adequate infrastructure for expeditious and timely adjudication of Workmen's claims, as can be seen from the status report." Practitioners who regularly appear before the CGIT complained that they were unable to access proper internet facilities on site, and that CGIT staff were using their own mobile phones as hotspot devices to conduct online hearing. Guidelines issued by the Court A Cisco Webex licence or licences would be purchased by the CGIT so that it could conduct hearings throughout working hours every day. In order to avoid issues or disruptions during hearings due to non-availability/inadequate internet connection, high-speed internet shall be installed immediately in the CGIT by any of the established players. This includes stenographic assistance, for which the presiding officer, CGIT, is authorised to take steps in accordance with established procedure, with full cooperation from the Ministry of Labour and Employment. This includes Cisco WebeX licences, broadband highspeed internet, and other facilities needed to conduct online hearings.
The Court also ordered the Ministry of Labour and Employment or the relevant appointing authority to take expeditious steps to fill the vacancy of the Presiding Officer for the second bench of the CGIT. In the case before the court, 33 maintenance workers at the ESI hospital had filed a petition. For this, they were terminated from their positions as of the 16th of February 2021. However, the matter was not resolved until it was referred to the CGIT. As a result, the Centre filed a status report stating that CGIT lacked the necessary infrastructure to conduct video conferencing/online hearings. In light of the fact that the petitioners are reportedly unemployed, the Court granted the Respondents one last and final opportunity to file a written statement before the CGIT on or before August 10, 2021. Furthermore, the court ordered that the CGIT expedite the case's adjudication, and that the final award be issued on or before September 30, 2021. So, the matter was decided. On September 20, the Court requested a status report on upgrading video conferencing facilities and the appointment of a second presiding officer for the CGIT bench.
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