The Supreme Court resumed Work on Monday at almost full strength although virtually, after a gap of nearly seven months.
Twenty-eight judges of the 30-apex court strength sat for hearing cases through video conferencing. The eight benches conducted hearing through video conferencing included three judges while two benches have to judges each. Justices Mohan M. Shantanagoudar and Vineet Sharan are not sitting.
The supreme court had been functioning in a restricted manner since March 23. Where it took up the issues virtually in the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the outbreak in March, a limit of five benches used to sit every day taking up issues, on an average of 30 cases per bench, through video conferencing.
Two single-judge benches are sitting to hear cases connected with transfer petitions. This is probably going to proceed with the whole week, and 10 may sit every day to take upon the matters virtually.
On March 23 physical hearings were suspended by the Apex Court and issued directions to take up only urgent issues through video conferencing in the lockdown period, however, this pattern proceeded even after the lockdown was lifted.
The supreme court issued an (SOP) Standard work technique for the proposed experimental physical hearing of cases on the request of different legal counselor’s bodies on August 31.
However, no date was announced for the SOP’s resumption of physical hearing.
The SOP issued by Secretary-General Sanjeev S. Kalgaonkartold in a statement that: On an experimental basis, and as a pilot scheme, physical hearing of matters may initially commence in three Court-rooms; eventually, number of matters or the number of Court-rooms may be increased or reduced, as the situation may warrant or permit.”
A seven-judge committee headed by the Justice N.V. Ramana took note of requests made by various lawyer’s associations to resume physical hearing of the cases on an experimental basis while adhering to safety guidelines, Earlier in August.
Only such numbers of parties or lawyers may be permitted to appear inside the courtrooms, which does not exceed the working capacity of the courts as determined under physical distancing norms, The SOP said.
Entry into the High-security zone through proximity cars and long-term passes shall be kept suspended, they top court administration told until any further order.
Justices Arun Mishra, Rohington Nariman, U.U. Lalit, Ramana, A.M. Khanwilkar, D.Y. Chandrachud, and L.N. Rao are the members of the committee set up by the Chief Justice, to investigate the issue connected with the resumption of physical hearings.
