Coronavirus impact: Patna HC to hear only urgent matters till Mar 31

The Patna High Court said on Sunday that it would hear only regular bail and urgent matters till the end of this month as a precautionary measure in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision was taken after Chief Justice Sanjay Karol held meetings with all the stakeholders, including high court judges, members of the registry and those of the bar associations, according to a notification.

"The high court will hear only regular bail and most urgent matters till March 31," Yogesh Chandra Verma, chairman of the coordination committee of all the three lawyers' associations of the high court, told PTI.

"The main purpose behind the move is to prevent the congregation of large gatherings in order to contain COVID-19," Verma said.

All cases, except bail matters (regular/anticipatory), listed for hearing on Monday, will now be listed for April 6. Each court will hear only 25 bail matters listed for Monday, the high court registry said in a notice.

Earlier in the day, the Calcutta High Court and the Gauhati High Court issued similar notifications, restricting functioning to only urgent matters.