Supreme Court to resume physical hearing twice a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays starting Feb 14

The Supreme Court on Monday, in its latest hearing, issued a notification in response to the SOP hearing of 07 October 2021 wherein it was provided that Physical Hearing will be conducted for two days in a week i.e Wednesday and Thursday.

"In view of a significant decline in the number of COVID-19 cases and positivity rate, and in the light of the various instructions issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Government of NCT of Delhi vide Order dated 04.02.2022, the Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India, in consultation with the Committee of Hon’ble Judges, has been pleased to direct that the Modified Standard Operating Procedure notified on 07.10.2021 for hearing before the Hon’ble Court shall stand revived, and all hearings before the Hon’ble Court from 14.02.2022 shall be in accordance with the said Modified Standard Operating Procedure notified on 07.10.2021," the Supreme Court statement read.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Saturday requested Chief Justice of India NV Ramana that physical hearings in the apex court be reassumed to the pre-pandemic level as the COVID-19 situation is in control and stressed that ‘open court hearing’ is both the “convention and constitutional requirement”.

In a letter addressed to the CJI, SCBA president Vikas Singh said the positivity rate in the national capital has come down to below four per cent and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has decided to reopen schools, colleges and gyms here with effect from February 7.

The apex court is presently hearing matters virtually after the number of COVID-19 cases started rising in December last year due to the Omicron variant of the virus.

(with agency inputs)