Conduct of the proceedings of the petitions filed for divorce by mutual consent can be conducted via videoconference- Karnataka HC The Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka vide order dated 10.07.2020 held that the conduct of the proceedings of the petitions filed under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and Section 28 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954, for divorce by mutual consent can be conducted via videoconference. The said order was passed in a suo moto petition issued to address various legal and technical issues arising out of the provisions of the Standing Operating Procedure applicable to the District and Trial Courts in the State under which, the litigants are not permitted to enter the Court premises, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Referring to the Supreme Court judgement in the matter of Sanathini vs Vijaya Venkatesh, it was further held that once the settlement or reconciliation fails, if both the parties gave consent by filing a consent memorandum for hearing of the case through video conferencing and for examination of a witness by video conferencing, the Family Court could take recourse to videoconferencing. Reddy & Reddy law firm Pune amongst various other fields of law, also specialises in handling cases specifically related to family law and matrimonial disputes.