Senate Introduces Bill to Legalising Virtual Court Proceeding
A Constitution amendment seeking for legalisation of virtual court proceedings passed into first reading in the Senate on Tuesday.
The bill, titled: “1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) Bill, 2020 (SB. 418), was sponsored by Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele.
The bill aims at ensuring the much needed corresponding amendment of relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, in giving legal teeth to virtual court proceedings.
The provisions of the bill, as contained in the draft copy, include Section 36 sub-section (3), which states: “This section is hereby amended by the addition of the following:
“Provided that nothing in this subsection shall invalidate proceedings of a court or the proceedings of a tribunal relating to matters mentioned in subsection (1) of this section (including the announcement of the decisions of the court or tribunal) where same is held by remote hearing or any virtual means now in existence or yet to be developed.
“Section 36 subsection (4) is hereby amended by addition of sub-paragraph (c) as follows: (c) nothing in the foregoing paragraphs shall invalidate proceedings of a court or the proceedings of a tribunal relating to matters mentioned in subsection (1) of this section (including the announcement of the decisions of the court or tribunal) where same is held by remote hearing or any virtual means now in existence or yet to be developed.
“Section 36 subsection (12) is hereby amended by addition of the following subsection (13): In this section, ‘remote hearing’ means proceedings or hearing of court conducted via Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp video or any other social media platform or technological innovation.”
