Taking a serious view of the “alarming rise in COVID-19 cases” in the Capital, the Delhi High Court on Thursday announced that it will take up court proceedings through virtual mode from April 9 to April 23.
The office circular issued by Registrar General Manoj Jain also said that no adverse order would be passed by the courts of Joint Registrars (judicial) in case of non-appearance of parties and/or their counsel and the matter which are fixed for recording of evidence before the said courts shall be adjourned.
Mr. Jain also issued a similar circular on Thursday ordering that all district courts in the Capital will hear court proceedings only through videoconferencing mode beginning April 9 till April 23.
“It has been further directed that the Principal District and Sessions Judges in consultation with the DG (Prisons) shall make necessary arrangements for extension of remand of undertrial prisoners,” the office order read.
“Wherever required, during the trial, UTPs may be produced through videoconferencing. No adverse orders shall be passed by the District Courts in Delhi in case of non-appearance of parties and/or their counsel and the matters which are fixed for recording of evidence, shall be adjourned,” the office order of the High Court said.
After the imposition of the first nationwide lockdown, the High Court started conducting hearings through video conferencing from March 24 last year to contain the spread of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Over five months later, the High Court resumed physical hearing of courts proceedings initially with five of its benches on a rotation basis from September 1. The number of benches conducting physical hearing was increased gradually.
The HC had commenced complete physical functioning from March 15.
Apart from full physical hearing, the High Court also consider request of parties to join the court proceedings through videoconferencing. This hybrid form of hearing is one, where some of the parties or their counsels may be physically present in the Court room when the matter is taken up by the court for hearing, while others may participate through the online mode.
