Punjab and Haryana High Court to resume physical hearing from March 28

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, March 24

More than two years after the Punjab and Haryana High Court adopted virtual mode of hearing following the apprehension of Covid outbreak, it today announced the decision to resume total physical functioning from March 28.

The decision by Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha was taken “keeping in view the decline in number of Covid-19 cases in the States of Punjab, Haryana and the UT of Chandigarh”. The order made it clear that the hearing of all the cases in the High Court would be held through physical mode only and request for video-conferencing through any mode would not be entertained in any case.

The order added “online mentioning” portal would be deactivated. Mentioning of cases would only be made through physical mode in the same manner as in the pre-Covid period.  The order added no litigant represented by an advocate would be permitted entry unless there were specific directions by the Court. Facemasks have been made mandatory for all officers, officials, staff, advocates and their clerks

The High Court had initially shifted to virtual mode of hearing in March 2020. Limited physical hearing was ordered to be resumed from February 8, 2021, but it had to be suspended as the second wave took in its grip High Court Judges, judicial officers in the subordinate judiciary, advocates, and the staff. The High Court was forced to go back to restrictive functioning from April 19, last year.

Following a “massive surge” in cases, the functioning had to be restricted further from April 28, last year. But all Benches resumed functioning through the virtual mode from July 28, last year, with the reduction in the severity of the second wave. The High Court decided to partially resume physical hearing of cases from September 6, last year. The number of Benches hearing cases physically increased gradually till the third wave once again pushed the High Court back to the system of virtual hearing. As of now, all the Benches are taking up matters both off-line and on-line.