The Madras High Court is expected to convene a meeting of all its judges through videoconference on Friday to decide whether it should commence physical functioning from Monday or continue the present system of hearing cases virtually till the end of this month.
The court had solicited the views of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (BCTNP) as well as various other bar associations in the court in this regard. In response, the BCTNP has urged the court administration to begin physical functioning by following all safety protocols.
In a communication addressed to the High Court’s Registrar General C. Kumarappan, BCTNP chairman P.S. Amalraj stated that several advocates were unable to meet their day-to-day expenses due to restricted functioning of the High Court through video conferencing mode.
“Therefore, we request to consider the suggestion for physical functioning of the court as far as possible by following the advisories issued by the Government, World Health Organisation and Indian Council of Medical Research,” he said.
In its response, Madras Bar Association (MBA) said, there was a mixed response among its members with one section wanting physical functioning of the High Court and another in favour of continuing the virtual courts until the threat of COVID-19 subsides.
Hence, MBA president AR.L. Sundaresan suggested that physical functioning could be started on a trial basis by taking up admission cases alone in different court halls and then gradually start hearing final hearing cases too depending upon the success rate.
The Madras High Court had restricted its functioning severely and decided to post limited cases alone before two Division Benches and four single judges alone through video conferencing after five of its judges and many court staff tested positive for COVID-19.
