Physical Hearing In Supreme Court , Fresh SOP Issued For Resumption From September 1

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The Supreme Court has issued fresh standard operating procedures to accord final hearing of cases in physical mode from September 1, and will employ a hybrid option from Tuesday to Thursday amid strict observance of Covid appropriate norms.

The top court has been hearing cases through video-conferencing since March last year due to the pandemic and several bar bodies and lawyers have been demanding that physical hearings should resume immediately.

The SOP, issued by the Secretary General on August 28, made it clear that the courts would keep hearing miscellaneous cases through virtual mode on Mondays and Fridays.

“Wearing of mask, frequent use of hand sanitiser and maintaining physical distancing norms are mandatory for all entrants into the Supreme Court premises, including into the Courtrooms,” the SOP said.

The procedures mandated that once litigants and the lawyers opt for the hearing through physical mode then “hearing through video/tele-conferencing mode to the party concerned will not be facilitated”.

On August 18, the top court had indicated that physical hearing in the apex court, which is conducting proceedings virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic since March last year, may resume soon.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana had then said that physical hearing in the apex court may start within 10 days.

The top court has been hearing cases through video-conferencing since March last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and several bar bodies and lawyers have been demanding that physical hearings should resume immediately.

In July this year, the SCBA had written a letter to the CJI urging that physical hearing in the apex court be resumed saying the COVID-19 situation in the national capital has become “almost normal”.