Physical hearings at Delhi High Court, subordinate courts likely to resume from September 1

The Delhi High Court on Saturday suspended the functioning of the High Court and all its subordinate courts in the national capital till August 31 in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and noted that it may open physical courts from September 1.

An official order, issued by Delhi High Court Registrar General Manoj Jain, said that the planning to open the Delhi High Court and subordinate courts will be on an experimental basis subject to complete availability of public transport and to COVID situation in Delhi.

It said that around one-fourth of the courts can resume physical functioning on a rotational basis while the rest can continue taking up matters through videoconferencing.

"A comprehensive plan on the above lines will be prepared by the undersigned and placed before the `Committee for Preparation of Graded Action Plan` and thereafter before the Full Court for consideration," the official order said.

Meanwhile, the Administrative and General Supervision Committee of High Court considered a further extension of suspended functioning of the High Court and subordinates after taking note of the prevalent situation and in continuation of earlier orders dated May 23, May 25, and various orders thereafter.

The High Court said that the functioning of the High Court of Delhi shall continue to remain suspended till August 31 on the same terms as contained in the order dated July 30 of this court.I

t said that all the benches of the High Court court would continue to take up and hear all the urgent matters through videoconferencing and all the pending matters listed before it court from August 17 to August 31 would stand adjourned.

"The courts of Registrars and Joint Registrars of this court shall take up the matters through videoconferencing, where the files are already scanned. The evidence is recorded in ex-parte and uncontested matters where the same is required to be tendered by way of affidavit," the order said.

"It has also been ordered that the Courts of Registrars and Joint Registrars of this Court shall not pass any adverse order in non-urgent/routine matters where the concerned advocate/ litigant is unable to join the proceedings through video conferencing, till the time the physical functioning of the courts is resumed," it added.

Earlier, the committee had extended the suspension of functioning from time to time.