Take up only urgent matters via video conference: Delhi High Court to district courts

In view of an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the Delhi High Court on Monday ordered district courts to take up only urgent matters and that too through video conferencing. Delhi on Sunday recorded the biggest jump in its daily COVID-19 tally with 25,462 fresh cases, while the positivity rate shot up to 29.74 per cent — meaning almost every third sample being tested in the city is turning out to be positive.

The direction by the high court comes a day after it decided that from April 19 onwards it will only take up “extremely urgent matters” filed this year.

In the office order issued in respect of the subordinate courts, the high court said, “In view of the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, in continuation of this court’s office order dated April 8, 2021, it is ordered that all the judicial officers of district courts in Delhi shall take up only urgent cases of their respective courts, through video-conferencing mode.”

“It is further ordered that all other matters listed before Delhi district courts be adjourned en bloc by respective courts and information in this regard be uploaded on the website(s) of Delhi district courts,” the order, issued by the office of the Delhi High Court Registrar General, Manoj Jain, said.

On April 8, the high court 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.

A similar direction was issued to the district courts also on April 8.

From March 25 last year, the functioning of the high court and district courts was restricted and no physical hearing was being conducted due to the spread of COVID-19.

Partial physical hearings were resumed in September last year and complete physical hearings were restarted in March.

(With PTI inputs)

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