NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday said the existing system of hearings via video conferencing will continue till May 15 given the alarming surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital. The District Courts have also been directed to conduct virtual hearings only till May 15.
An order issued by the office of the Delhi High Court Registrar General Manoj Jain said, “All the benches of this court shall continue to take up only extremely urgent matters filed in the year 2021, through video conferencing mode.”
“All the courts of Registrars and Joint Registrars (Judicial) shall also continue to take up only urgent cases of their respective courts, through video conferencing mode,” it said.
The high court’s office order also said that all other pending routine or non-urgent matters listed between April 26 and May 15 shall stand adjourned en bloc to dates between July 9 to July 31.
On April 18, the high court had said that from April 19 onwards it will only take up “extremely urgent matters” filed this year. On April 8, it had decided that from April 9 to April 23 it will take up matters “through virtual mode only” in view of the rise in Covid-19 cases.
The high court had commenced complete physical functioning from March 15 onwards. Subsequently, it had said that virtual or hybrid proceedings would be held on the request of lawyers. After the Covid outbreak in March 2020, the court was holding proceedings through video conferencing.
Virtual mode since April 9
On April 8, it had decided that from April 9 to April 23 it will take up matters “through virtual mode only” in view of the rising COVID-19 cases.