New Delhi | Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Thursday said he has asked all high courts across the country to conduct hearings online and most of them have already implemented it.

The observation came when a lawyer mentioned a plea before a bench headed by the CJI seeking an urgent hearing of her plea that all Delhi courts should go online.

"I have already requested the Chief Justices. Most have already implemented. It has to be a voluntary exercise by both the Bar and the Bench," CJI Kant said.

The lawyer told the apex court that in her plea, she has sought directions to all district courts to conduct hearings online for three months in the interest of the nation.

The CJI then said, "District courts are the domain of High Courts. District courts are in the administrative domain of HCs. Let them take call... I have requested them for district courts also." On Monday, CJI Kant had requested the chief justices of all the high courts to conduct hearings online on Mondays and Fridays for the time being to reduce avoidable expenditure in the wake of the West Asia crisis.

On May 15, the top court decided to hear cases exclusively through video conference on Mondays and Fridays, and judges "unanimously resolved" to encourage car pooling arrangements amongst themselves in order to ensure optimum fuel utilisation.

The move came following an appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cut down avoidable expenditure due to the West Asia crisis.