Gauhati HC to resume physical hearing of cases from February 21

Gauhati High Court will resume physical hearing of all cases from February 21 and requests for virtual hearing will be allowed only in a case to case basis with prior approval of the concerned bench at least a day before the hearing.

A notification issued by Gauhati High Court Registrar General Gautam Barua on Wednesday stated that all types of cases shall be listed and mention for urgent listing shall be made physically before the concerned judge.

Non-vaccinated or partially vaccinated advocates or staff shall be allowed to enter the court premises provided they furnish a negative report of the RT-PCR test done nor earlier than 48 hours, it said.

To avoid overcrowding, only those advocates whose cases are listed before a particular bench can sit inside a courtroom and shall leave once the hearing is over.

Bar rooms shall be permitted to remain physically open by adhering to COVID-19 norms issued by the HC and the government, the notice said.

Entry of litigants and any other person in the premises of the HC will, however, continue to be prohibited except with the permission of the registrar general or registrar (administration).

Wearing of face masks, maintaining social distancing, regular hand washing and use of sanitizer will be mandatory in the premises of the Gauhati High Court, it said.

Canteens in the HC will be allowed to operate by adhering to COVID -19 protocols issued by the Gauhati High Court or the government, the notice said.

Similar guidelines are applicable to district courts, tribunals and courts of special judges.

Litigants and witnesses who have taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 jab will be permitted entry in the court premises on production of the vaccination certificate.

Entry of any person, other than litigants, in connection with any important work in the court premises will be allowed only with the prior permission of the court manager, sheristadar and head assistant as the case may be.

Seating arrangement inside the court room will be limited to 50 per cent and the presiding officer of the concerned court will ensure that there is no overcrowding in the courtroom, it said.

About the outlying benches of Gauhati High Court in Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, the notice said the senior most judge in the station shall take a decision on opting for physical or hybrid mode of hearing in respect of the bench and subordinate courts of that state, with due consultation and approval of the chief justice.

The notification will come into effect from February 21 and remain in force till further orders.

The Gauhati High Court was functioning in the virtual mode with a staggered roster since January 6 due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state.

It functioned through the virtual mode with similar restrictions during the first two waves of the pandemic.