To ensure social distancing amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and lockdown in the national capital, the Supreme Court Sunday decided to restrict its functioning and hear the matters on Monday only in one court through video conference.
In a circular issued late Sunday evening, the top court cancelledthe scheduled hearing in courts 2, 8 and 14 and said that from Wednesday onlyone bench of two judges will take up for hearing in only urgent matters throughvideo conference.
As per the cause list uploaded by the apex court on itswebsite, a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justice D Y Chandrachud will betaking up three matters through video conference in which the advocates havebeen requested to address the court from a different room, while the judgeswill be sitting in court one.
Later in the day, the apex court issued a circular whichsaid that the Chief Justice of India, after consulting his colleagues, hasdirected that during the course of the ensuing week, a bench of two judges,”as may be necessary to hear extremely urgent cases, will be available totransact judicial work.”
“A Bench will be available for court work onWednesday, March 25, 2020 and the Causelist will be notified on the day previous to the hearing. The hearing may beconducted through video conferencing mode. Rooms with requisite facilities forthis purpose in the Supreme Court premises are being made available for theconvenience of the members of the Bar,” said the circular, issued by apexcourt secretary general Sanjeev S Kalgaonkar.
Last week, the CJI had said that video conferencing facilitywill be set up to hear the matters within a week and smart TVs will beinstalled for the media to cover the cases to dissuade them from entering thecourt rooms.Lawyers’ body Supreme Court Advocate on RecordAssociation (SCOARA) said that considering the outbreak of the pandemicCoronavirus and in view of the Delhi government notification dated March 22, bywhich there has been a total lock down in Delhi till March 31, it was resolvedthat members will not be appearing in the Court till April 4.