HC closes all access to court complexes in J&K, Ladakh

Ishfaq Tantry
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, March 26

The J&K High Court has closed access to all court complexes, including subordinate courts, across two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh during the lockdown period announced by the Prime Minister. Coronavirus today claimed its first victim in Kashmir, a Hyderpora resident who died in Srinagar hospital after being tested positive for the deadly virus on Tuesday.

“The access to all the court complexes of the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including the High Court complexes at Srinagar and Jammu, shall remain closed during the period of the lockdown,” reads the circular issued by the Registrar General conveying the decisions of Chief Justice Gita Mittal while taking into account the 21 days lockdown period and the decisions of the J&K Government to close all government offices in the territory.

However, the order states that judicial officers, officers and staff of the registry and the staff of the district courts shall remain available at all times at their respective residences to deal with any business of emergent nature.

“Any urgent business shall be transacted on the virtual mode,” it said, adding that the officers and the staff should strictly follow the advisories and instructions regarding prevention for the spread of coronavirus issued by the government from time to time.

“The Principal District and Sessions Judges shall make arrangements for hearing of any exceptionally urgent civil/criminal matter(s) from the residence(s) of the judicial officer(s) who shall be designated by the District and Sessions Judge concerned for the purpose,” the order further said while instructing them to organise such hearings of urgent nature only through virtual mode that is videoconferencing or video calls through WhatsApp groups as already conveyed in a separate circular earlier.

The Chief Justice has further instructed her subordinates and court staff that all orders and instructions of the Government of India and government of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir regarding social distancing, restrictions, precautions, quarantine, isolation etc shall be strictly complied with.