This HC not keen to resume Physical Court till Coronavirus Outbreak continues

The High Court of Bombay administration held a meeting presided by the Chief Justice & Senior Judges, to decide on various presentations by Senior Advocates & Lawyers. seeking resumption of regular Court & conducting physical hearings. According to members of bar associations who attended the meeting, the administration was firm in its decision that till the Covid-19 pandemic continues, physical hearings can't be held.

In light of the onset of monsoon & denial of physical hearings, the member said that the Court Administration observed that it should first work out the modalities of commencing Court work in a phase-wise manner.

The Additional Solicitor General, Advocate General, & representatives of various Bar Associations, attended the meeting.

Another member of a Bar Association who was in attendancesaid that the meeting centered around 2 major issues – having physical hearings in the High Court & physical hearing in Courts other than the High Court.

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni apprised the attendees about the demarcation of red, orange & green zones by the Govt depending on the existence of infected cases, & said that a decision regarding physical hearings would be possible only after the State Govt updated the list later in the evening.

The member further said that the meeting also discussed improving the quality of video conferencing wherein it was suggested to permit call conferencing if video conferencing quality was not good. However, the administrative judges didn't show any inclination towards this idea.

A request was also made to increase the number of days when the Court worked & the number of judges assigned to hear cases on these days.

According to the bar association member, the administrative judges said that in the current pandemic situation, allowing physical hearings would not be possible but a decision on permitting the same in courts in green zones, & other issues, would be taken only after there was clarity from the Govt. The decision is likely to be announced on Tuesday. 

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