Capital court turns to cloud to keep up during COVID

Thanks to an internet platform, a number of administrative cases were successfully resolved during the COVID-19 outbreak last year, the capital's No 4 Intermediate People's Court said.

In a report issued by the court on Tuesday, the number of cases involving residents and the city's government agencies dropped to 932 in 2020 from 1,749 in 2019, the ongoing pandemic listed as the main reason behind the rapid decline.

Although the number of disputes decreased, the court did not halt its attempts to meet the demand of litigants.

Last year, it made use of an online platform called Yunfating - which translates as "trial in the cloud" - to hear cases 261 times and organized the exchange of evidence and opinions 259 times. Recourse to the internet service contributed greatly to meeting legal demands and improving judicial efficiency.

According to the report, the court concluded 981 administrative cases in 2020, mainly covering house demolitions, environmental protection, urban rail transit construction and rural land management. Defending government agencies lost 91 of the concluded lawsuits.

The report added that the court also pushed government department officials to attend case hearings online and offline to respond directly to public concerns and help residents solve problems efficiently.

In the past, litigants frequently complained that it was difficult to see officials involved in case hearings, but after efforts in recent years, this is no longer the case, Wu Nan, deputy chief judge of the court's administrative division, said when presenting the report to media on Tuesday.

She suggested that government agencies further regulate their behavior and administrative handling procedures, stressing that taking part in litigation also strengthens law-based governance.