Delhi HC, district courts to resume physical functioning from March 2

The Delhi High Court and the district courts in the national capital will completely resume physical hearings from March 2, according to an official order issued on Friday.

However, in exceptional circumstances on a case-to-case basis, the court can permit a hybrid video-conferencing hearing, the order said.

A suitable number of benches of the court for physical hearings shall be constituted with effect from February 14, as per the directions of the Chief Justice.

The remaining benches shall continue to take up matters through video-conferencing. However, all benches shall take up cases as per the existing system of listing of matters.

Around 50 per cent of them hold the court physically while the others take up the matters through virtual mode, it said.

Advocates, staff officials, litigants, and other visitors to the courts shall follow all the Covid-19 protocols, guidelines, directions, etc. issued by the Centre, the Delhi government, and the court administration from time to time. All stakeholders are also advised to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest, it read.

In view of the rising Covid-19 cases in Delhi amid the third wave of the pandemic, the Delhi High Court and the district courts have been holding hearings only through the virtual mode since January 3.

--IANS

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