The Supreme Court Bar Association SCBA has passed unanimous resolution requesting Chief Justice of India S. A. Bobde and other sitting Judges of the Supreme Court to cancel the Summer Vacation this year in order to cover up the loss of court due to complete lockdown in view of the sudden outbreak of COVID-19.
The resolution states that the “SCBA is deeply concerned about the hardship and distress caused to the litigants throughout the country on account of restricted functioning of the Courts including the Supreme Court of India since March 15,2020 first on account of limited Court functioning in the week following the Holi Recess and thereafter due to the nationwide lockdown.”
“In view of the continuing restrictions, the SCBA believes that it is time for the hon’ble Chief Justice of India and the Companion Judges of the Supreme Court to take further proactive measures in order to mitigate the suffering and distress of the litigating public, and to put in place fresh measures for gradually restoring the full functioning of the Supreme Court,” said resolution.
Therefore, EC resolves to appeal Hon’ble Chief Justice & other Hon’ble Judges of Supreme Court to declare cancellation of Summer Vacation as per the existing calendar and instead treat the entire period covered under the same as working of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the larger interest of the Litigants and interest of Justice and request them to declare the same at the earliest.
In order to mitigate the hardships and sufferings of the litigants the SCAORA has resolved that all the practicing lawyers of the Supreme Court will give up the summer vacation making themselves available for work during that period.
Hence the SCBA has appealed to the Supreme Court to cancel the summer vacations in the larger interest of the litigants and Justice.
The SCBA has further resolved that until normal working of open courts can resume, the temporary video-conferencing facilities be immediately improved by adoption of live-streaming of court proceedings as mandated in Swapnil Tripathi VS. Supreme Court of India, and by replacement of the existing VIDYO conferencing platform by a modern and efficient multi-user platform which will enable contesting lawyers, instructing Advocates-On-Record, and litigants to have simultaneous access to the video-conferenced proceedings.
SCBA further requested its President Dushyant Dave to place the resolution before the Chief Justice of India.
-India Legal Bureau