Wednesday 11 March 2015

DIGITAL VOICE RECORDERS IN COURTS


Contrary to what we think, technology brings cheap solutions to some our problems. Cellular Phones, once thought to be a luxury instrument turned out to be vehicle for development to even the poorest of poor. If we take the example of our legal profession, mobiles are more useful to young lawyers, who cannot afford to set up an office. Now Smartphones have brought a library, much bigger than the libraries in our High Court put together in their palm, almost free of cost!

I am wondering why we are not introducing Digital Voice Recorders at least in High Court to save the time of Stenographers in shuttling between the Court halls and their rooms, taking turns. In Courts taking final hearing matters, the Stenographer is simply made to sit idle through out the day, wasting his manpower. Even in motion courts, a Stenographers work would not extend beyond 30% of the total Court time.

The Courts can be managed by two Court Officers and the digital recordings can be e-transmitted to the Stenographers room to type out the digital voice. When medical transcription of some alien accent is possible, this could be even more easier.

The Judges, for reserved matters need not wait for the stenographers and need not feel indebted to them for they have to remain beyond office hours or on holidays; Judges can dictate the judgments into a recorder in the leisure of their homes and the hour of their choice to be later handed over to the Typists.


Such voice recorders will also help to put an end to the grievances of the Advocates that the Stenographers on few occasions failing to note the interim orders given by the Judge.


Stenographers are a vanishing tribe…with the use of technology soon we will have only Typists. I would dare say that even the Typists may not be required in future with the availability of more sophisticated and reliable softwares converting voice into letters….

Madurai
13/02/14

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