Calcutta HC Issues Guidelines For Functioning Of Court Post Lockdown

The High Court of Calcutta has issued several guidelines for the post lockdown functioning of court. At the outset it has been made clear that Court can resume physical functioning in a restricted form only after the transport services particularly suburban trains and public transports system are resumed.

With respect to hearing of matters, the following guidelines have been issued:

• Mentioning will be allowed only by way of Video Conference between 4.30 pm and 5 pm on every working day, restricted to six or seven Courts at a time. Mentioning schedules will be announced in advance on the High Court Website for the convenience of all concerned.
• Benches will sit on a staggered basis; every Bench will indicate a cluster of four to six matters which will be taken up in Courts on every hour of sitting. If such matters are exhausted, other matters scheduled later in that day will not be taken up during such time.
• Apart from the Judges on the Bench, three Court staff will be present in every Court room at any given point of time. No more than six lawyers and litigants will be allowed entry into any Court room at any given point of time.
• The Lawazima Court will publish a list of limited number of matters. Times will also be indicated so that the Lawazima Court is not crowded.

Apart from these the Court has issued other general guidelines:

1. Not more than 25 per cent of the sitting capacity in any library room will be allowed.
2. All lifts will be functional. However, no more than three persons will be allowed on the smaller lifts and not more than five persons will be allowed on the bigger lifts at a time.
3. For the time being, the canteens and refreshment services in the High Court premises will not resume.
4. Only two of the entry gates to the High Court Main Building will be open.

The Court has however clarified that if “physical functioning of the Court resumes but it is observed that the distancing and health and hygiene advisories are not been met, the Chief Justice may be constrained to stop the physical functioning of Court.”

-India Legal Bureau