Greeva Garg –
Published on: August 30, 2021, at 10:25 IST
The Supreme Court of India issued fresh Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on August 28, for resuming physical hearings of matters from September 1.
After nearly 17 months of shutting down of Courts since March 2020, the Apex Court has decided to provide an optional facility for lawyers/litigants in addition to the choice of online hearing.
Along with the hybrid option, the Court has decided to accord physical hearing in cases in three days of the week, from Tuesday to Thursday amid strict COVID norms.
Physical mode is promulgated only for the final hearing or regular matters, while Court will continue hearing miscellaneous cases through virtual mode on Mondays and Fridays.
The SOP was issued on the directions of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, after considering all the recommendations of the Judges’ Committee set up to regard all the difficulties could be faced by resuming physical hearing, and come up with a solution as per COVID Appropriate norms.
The circular released by Supreme Court Secretary-General stated, “With a view to gradually facilitate resumption of physical hearing, the final hearing/regular matters listed on non-miscellaneous days may be heard in the physical mode (with hybrid option), as may be decided by the Hon’ble Bench, considering the number of parties in a matter as well as the limited capacity of the Court rooms. Further, any other matter may be heard in physical mode on such days, if Hon’ble Bench directs likewise.”
“Wearing of mask, frequent use of hand sanitizer and maintaining physical distancing norms are mandatory for all entrants into the Supreme Court premises, including into the Courtrooms,” the SOP stated.
Click here to read/download the SOP
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