Coronavirus: Interns barred from entering Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court Tuesday directed that interns attached with the judges will not be allowed to access the court till further orders in view of coronavirus pandemic.

A circular issued by the registrar general of the high court also asked the security agencies not to honour the intern passes till further orders and directed the authorities not to issue such passes for the time being.

"In view of the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), the Chief Justice and judges of this court have been pleased to direct that interns attached with judges shall not be allowed to access to this court till further orders. Security agencies are hereby directed not to honour the intern passes till further orders. Registrar (general/admin) is also directed not to issue any new intern passes," it said.

The high court had decided on Monday to limit its functioning due to the coronavirus pandemic and hold hearing of only few benches till March 20.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the high court's eight-judge administrative and general supervision committee headed by Chief Justice D N Patel and the president and honorary secretary of the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) "to contain the spread of pandemic coronavirus".

On March 17 and 19, four division benches, four single judge benches for civil jurisdiction and three single judge benches each for criminal and original jurisdiction would hear "only urgent matters".

On March 18 and 20, three division benches, three single judge benches for civil jurisdiction and three single judge benches each for criminal and original jurisdiction would hear "only urgent matters".

In the normal course, a total of 26 benches sit for hearing all the matters.

With the coronavirus cases reaching 137 nationwide, several states have taken steps to restrict or close certain public places so as to check its spread.

All the courts in the national capital have also curtailed the functioning and restricting the entry of people on their premises.

The high court had said all the pending matters, listed from March 17 to 20, before the court as well as the registrars or joint registrars would be adjourned to April 14, 15, 16 and 17 respectively.

The urgent matters to be listed on the following day shall be determined by the designated joint registrars (JR) and it can be mentioned before the JR (judicial) from 10.30 am to 12 pm everyday till March 20.

It was also decided in the meeting that the trial courts will only take up bail matters and cases which require urgent stay or injunction till March 31 and rest of the cases would be adjourned.

The high court, in its advisory, said no undertrial would be produced before the subordinate courts till March 31 and if production is indispensable, the facility of video conferencing be utilised.

The Delhi Judicial Academy would suspend all its institutional training programmes till March 31, it said, adding that the committee will review the situation on March 20.

On March 13, the high court had decided that all possible preventive and remedial measures be taken to combat the impending threat of coronavirus, including making sanitisers available in the courts for visitors and staff, "particularly those manning windows where there is constant public dealing".

The Supreme Court had also taken a similar decision a few hours before the high court.

The high court had issued a separate advisory for regulating entry of litigants in all the district courts in the national capital.

"Thermal scanners (non-touch) may be procured at the earliest, handlers be trained and they be put to use at the existing check points," the advisory said.

"Till the present situation persists, no adverse/default orders be passed in matters where parties are found to be absent," it had said.