Keeping in view the sudden upsurge of the Covid-19 cases, the Supreme Court to conduct hearing of cases through virtual mode only with effect from January 7 and the benches will sit at the residential offices.
Chief Justice of India Justice N.V. Ramana said on Thursday the court may not be able to have physical hearings for at least 4-6 weeks. The CJI’s remark came during a hearing pertaining to service conditions of judges of the subordinate judiciary.
CJI Ramana was referring to the ongoing spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and the sudden surge in the number of Covid-19 cases which has resulted in the Supreme Court reverting to virtual hearings.
Apart from CJI Ramana, Justice L. Nageswara Rao raised concerns of the rising Omicron variant.
He said the rise in the number of cases of the new Omicron variant has been discussed with CJI Ramana by senior lawyers.
Justice Rao said the court has been considering hearing only urgent matters in the coming weeks.
In the wake of the surge in the Covid-19 cases, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said the first 5 Judges of the Supreme Court met CJI Ramana to discuss steps for how to keep everyone safe.
On January 3, due to growing concerns as Omicron infections and a sudden surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, the Supreme Court has reverted to virtual hearings for the next two weeks. All physical hearings have been suspended for two weeks.
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The Apex Court said that it will revisit the situation after two weeks and a further course of action will be decided.
On January 3, the Delhi High Court decided to shift to the virtual system of hearings. The statement by HC reads that the arrangement of the virtual proceedings shall continue till January 15.
In the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, since March 2020, the Apex Court has been holding virtual hearings.
Delhi has recorded a huge spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. The Delhi government has attributed the surge to the highly contagious Omicron variant. According to Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, the third wave of Covid-19 has hit the city.
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