Roque Dias
Margao
In a key step to ease depositions before courts, Goa is all set to launch its first-ever e-witness room at the South Goa collectorate building in Margao, enabling witnesses, police officers, public servants, and citizens to testify before various courts via high-definition video conferencing, without stepping into a courtroom.
This e-witness room, which is also referred to as a virtual witness room and established as mandated by the Section 254(1)-(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, is expected to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant
next week.
It is pertinent to note that the Greater Chennai police and Coimbatore city police in Tamil Nadu launched similar e-witness rooms in May, this year, which have proven effective in saving time and energy, while significantly contributing to the expeditious progression of court trials.
Goa will be the second state to create this facility, which promises to save time, reduce travel costs, and help fast-track trials.
“The state government notified this initiative a few months ago. We have established the facility on the ground floor of the South Goa district collectorate building. This e-witness room will have six soundproof cabins. We are coordinating with various courts and legal practitioners across the state.
This e-witness room is an integral component of the e-court system,” South Goa district collector Egna Cleetus said.
Goa Electronics Limited has installed the requisite software on the computer systems within the e-witness room.
“We will provide briefings to members of the bar association, police personnel, and public servants on how to utilise this facility and the substantial benefits it offers. We will be officially handing over Goa’s first e-witness room at the South Goa collectorate to the court, with its operations being overseen by the Goa police department,’’ Cleetus elaborated.
Opining that the latest facility will help facilitate the court testimonies, the district collector explained, “In the event that an individual receives a summons to testify in court, they can come here, present the summons, and the authorities will subsequently arrange for their virtual testimony within this e-witness room.”
