Amidst soaring COVID-19 cases, the Kerala High Court has decided to revert to complete virtual hearings for all cases from January 17, Monday..A notice to that effect was issued today by the Registrar General of the High Court on Saturday..The following directions were issued in the notice:Sitting of all Benches in the High Court will be through video conference. However, in exceptional cases, the concerned judge may decide if any particular case is to be heard in physical mode;Filing of cases in the High Court will continue as per the modified instructions issued by the High Court;Entry of Advocates' Clerks shall be limited for filing purposes only;Entry of the public to the High Court shall be restricted;Separate box will be placed in the Atrium of the High Court for dropping the physical case files for filing;Physical presence of court staff and officers in the High Court will be regulated..The notice also said that the arrangements mentioned in it will be reviewed on February 11, 2022..After the second wave of the pandemic showed signs of subsiding, the Court had adopted a hybrid system of hearing where lawyers could opt to appear online or physically in court as they wished. The hybrid mode has been in place since November 22, 2021.Conducting cases exclusively online has met with much opposition from Bar Associations, with the Kerala High Court Advocates Association holding protests against the same just a few months ago..The Supreme Court and various High Courts including Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Gauhati, Karnataka, Telangana, Patna, Jharkhand, Madras, Bombay, Calcutta, Orissa and Delhi High Courts have reverted to virtual hearing..[Read Notice]
Amidst soaring COVID-19 cases, the Kerala High Court has decided to revert to complete virtual hearings for all cases from January 17, Monday..A notice to that effect was issued today by the Registrar General of the High Court on Saturday..The following directions were issued in the notice:Sitting of all Benches in the High Court will be through video conference. However, in exceptional cases, the concerned judge may decide if any particular case is to be heard in physical mode;Filing of cases in the High Court will continue as per the modified instructions issued by the High Court;Entry of Advocates' Clerks shall be limited for filing purposes only;Entry of the public to the High Court shall be restricted;Separate box will be placed in the Atrium of the High Court for dropping the physical case files for filing;Physical presence of court staff and officers in the High Court will be regulated..The notice also said that the arrangements mentioned in it will be reviewed on February 11, 2022..After the second wave of the pandemic showed signs of subsiding, the Court had adopted a hybrid system of hearing where lawyers could opt to appear online or physically in court as they wished. The hybrid mode has been in place since November 22, 2021.Conducting cases exclusively online has met with much opposition from Bar Associations, with the Kerala High Court Advocates Association holding protests against the same just a few months ago..The Supreme Court and various High Courts including Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Gauhati, Karnataka, Telangana, Patna, Jharkhand, Madras, Bombay, Calcutta, Orissa and Delhi High Courts have reverted to virtual hearing..[Read Notice]
