ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has conducted technology-enabled hearings across multiple locations with benches, counsel and litigants participating from different cities through video link.

An official announcement said the fully digitised case files supported the proceedings, allowing the benches to access case records without physically transferring paper books between the principal seat and branch registries.

In one proceeding, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi presided over the bench from the principal seat Islamabad, while Justice Shakeel Ahmad joined the bench from the Peshawar Branch Registry whereas counsel representing one of the parties participated from Mingora through video link.

The hearing brought members of the bench and counsel together from three locations, demonstrating how proceedings can continue without requiring every participant to travel to the same courtroom.

Digitised case files allow benches to access case records without physically transferring paper books between principal seat and branch registries

The arrangement also enabled benches sitting at the principal seat to hear matters from the Quetta, Karachi and Lahore branch registries.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail heard cases of the Quetta Branch Registry; a two-member bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar heard cases of the Karachi Branch Registry; and a two-member bench headed by Justice Ayesha A. Malik heard cases of the Lahore Branch Registry. Counsel and parties joined from their respective locations through video link, while the benches continued their regular judicial work in Islamabad.

The day’s proceedings thus connected Islamabad with Peshawar, Mingora, Quetta, Karachi and Lahore. By enabling branch registry matters to be taken up without moving benches, counsel, litigants or case records between cities, the arrangement supports continuity of hearings and makes more effective use of judicial time. It also gives litigants and counsel a practical way to participate in proceedings closer to their locations.

A significant feature of the hearings was the use of fully digitised case files in place of physical paper books. Digital access to case material reduces the need to retrieve and transport files from branch registries and makes records available to the bench when a matter is taken up. This can save time and reduce the logistical effort associated with hearings conducted across multiple locations.

Institutionalised video-link hearings complement this access to digital records. Together, these facilities can reduce travel and related expenses for litigants and counsel, limit avoidable procedural inconvenience, and help the court maintain the pace of hearings when participants are based in different cities.

The Supreme Court’s wider digital reform programme includes digitisation of case files, barcode-based case tracking, electronic filing, electronic transmission of court orders, digital payment facilities, institutionalized video-link hearings and e-Office systems. These measures are progressively connecting court records, judicial processes and public-facing services, with the aim of making each stage of a case easier to manage and access.

The court’s objective is to translate these reforms into practical benefits for those who use its services: easier access to records, fewer unnecessary journeys, lower costs and more consistent hearings. The continued expansion of digital facilities is intended to make court processes more accessible, efficient and transparent while preserving the orderly conduct of judicial proceedings.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026