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Madurai Bench Of Madras HC & Subordinate Courts In 9 Districts Of Tamil Nadu To Reopen For Physical Court Hearings In A Staggered Manner
The Madurai bench of the High Court of Madras has decided to allow the staggered opening of the High Court and the subordinate courts in the 9 district of the Tamil Nadu and UT of Puducherry for physical functioning. The nine districts includes: Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri ,Ramanathapura, The Nilgiris, , Tiruvarur, Theni, ,Nagapattinam, Karur and Sivagangai.
According to a notification issued on Saturday, all the judges at the High Court Principal Bench in Madras can operate either from their respective chambers or courthouses, subject to availability of effective connectivity through video conferencing only. For the Madurai High Court bench, it is proposed that in addition to hearing by video conferencing, the court can also proceed with an additional relaxation enabling accessibility via physical hearing in court-halls up to a maximum of five lawyers in one court-hall at a time, plus a State Counsel.
However, the number of cases open to court proceedings per day does not exceed 10, with the time allocated to the respective lawyers, with strict instructions. The guidelines issued specified that the actual open court hearings would be performed in a small and restricted manner, with the strict observance of having up to five lawyers at one time including state counsel. The advisory held that no other litigant or other person should be entitled to appear before the court only when their cases are shown on the display board or otherwise told. Many district presiding officers were pursued to proceed with about 15 to 20 cases a day by video conferencing. This also held small staff should be allowed by major judges on a rotational basis and lawyers over the age of 65 could make use of video conferencing
It is clarified that in the event that it is observed that the hearings of the physical court in any way constitute an obstacle or are likely to cause any such threat to the health and hygiene safety standards of the COVID-19, the Administrative Judge of Madurai Bench shall immediately recall any such physical sitting hearings in open courts and shall continue to hear cases through video-conferencing.
It is also directed, as an additional measure, that appeal cases where neither the participation of the litigants nor any other assistance is needed, except that of the lawyers, may be heard by video conferencing, subject to the availability of the facility and the time-limit applicable to the courts concerned.
