The Jharkhand High Court has issued guidelines, in wake of the COVID– 19 Pandemic crisis and the directives of the State Government for Continuance of Lockdown for further period of two weeks without any relaxation with effect from 04.05.2020. The Court, in compliance with the directions and guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs has directed that the physical presence of the Officers, Staff and Lawyers in the Court rooms will not be conducive to the social distancing.
The Registrar General of the High Court has notified that the system of hearing of court cases through video conferencing with minimum number of staff and personnel in the High Court will continue.
Some more courts will now be linked to the video conferencing system of hearing cases. The functioning of High Court will continue with 2 Division Benches and 3 or 4 Single Judges, with E- mentioning for Civil matters being made before Division Bench– I and Criminal Matters before Division Bench – II.
The court will also take up Matrimonial Appeals with the consent of both the parties, and the matters of Criminal Appeal where appellant is in custody will be listed after the entire records including Lower Court Record gets scanned.
Although LPA will be taken up with the consent of both parties, the consent of the respondent will not be required in the first hearing subject to the filing of caveat by the respondent. But once the cases are listed and parties do not turn up for hearing, further prayer for listening will not be entertained.
In order to facilitate filing of extremely urgent bail or anticipatory bail applications from various districts, the Registry will take necessary steps temporarily, authorizing a Notary in every district before whom affidavits shall be sworn for the applications that shall be filed before the civil court. The filing section, will issue acknowledgements for receipt of the applications and the lawyers concerned will file the scanned copies of the acknowledgements and copies of applications in the High Court through e-filing system.
-India Legal Bureau