Restrictive working at Chandigarh Districts Courts

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 5

Only urgent and selective matters will be taken up for hearings from Thursday as the Chandigarh Districts Courts have decided to restrict the functioning of the court in view of a surge in the Covid-19 cases.

The District and Sessions Judge, Chandigarh, issued the orders in this regard today. Apart from stay and bail matters, the selective cases shall only be taken up by the sessions courts and courts of the civil judges.

The cases to be taken up by the courts include those of the Fast Track Special Court for expeditious disposal of rape and POCSO cases, protection petition, cases pertaining to MACT, all cases which can be disposed of in terms of compromise between the parties or by way of withdrawal, matters under Section 13(B) of HMA, criminal cases in which defence evidence has been closed and criminal cases which are fixed for arguments or in which accused are in custody, old inquiries pending before the Juvenile Justice Board, untrace and cancellation reports and time-bound cases or cases in which the directions have been received from the apex court or the High Court.

The order has been issued a day after a meeting was held between the representatives of the District Bar Association, Chandigarh, and the District and Sessions Judge. The order says that the proceeding of the cases will be conducted through the hybrid mode. Physical hearing will be held with strict precautionary measures.

The undertrial prisoners from the Model Jail, Chandigarh, shall be produced before the courts through videoconferencing. However, if the court concerned deems the physical presence of an undertrial is necessary, then the jail authority will be informed well in time for the production of undetrial/prisoner for his/her appearance in the court.

Only fully vaccinated people (those having two doses of vaccine) will be allowed in the District Courts complex. The order says that every entrant on the court premises shall enter after thermal screening. Only advocates shall be allowed to enter the Judicial Block of this Sessions Division. However, the access of litigants/witnesses to the courts shall only be allowed when their physical presence is absolutely necessary in courts and have been directed by the court to put their appearance.

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