Delhi High Court’s new SOP effective November 22 restricts entry into court blocks

The Delhi High Court has put out a new Standard Operating Procedure to be enforced from November 22 for “Physical Court hearings”. The High Court has restricted attendance at entry into the court block, for the purposes of attending physical hearings and VC Court room hearings to:

• Only one Advocate accompanied by one Junior/intern per party whose vakalatnama is on record or who has been duly authorized by such Advocate to appear and whose case is listed for hearing that day.

• Senior Counsel engaged by any such Advocate.

• Registered Clerk only for the limited purpose of delivering heavy and bulky case files of such Advocates at the designated point. Such Clerk shall leave the court block and shall enter again only to recollect the same.

• Standing/Nominated counsel for any of the party/entity whose cases are listed for physical hearing that day.

• Party-in-person where such party is pursuing the case himself/herself without any legal assistance.

The Court has further notified that physical courts shall function from three blocks i.e. Block-A (Main Block), Block-B (Extension Block) & Block-C (New Block). In order to adhere to social distancing norms, seats in each court room has been limited to bare minimum.

Also Read: Supreme Court orders CBI probe into Hindustan Zinc disinvestment of 2002

The SOP has clarified that all urgent matters have to be filed through online e-filing module only However, the .listing before the Court shall be subject to administrative exigency.

Vehicle entry has been permitted from gates 7 & 9 while pedestrians have been permitted to use gate 5. Vehicles have to use Gate 4,7 & 9 in order to exit the High Court.