[Coronavirus] Bombay High Court to only sit on 2 days between 12-2 pm next week; will only take "extremely urgent" matters

In furtherance of efforts to guard against further transmission of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Bombay High Court will only sit on two days next week, i.e. March 23, Monday and March 26, Thursday..A notice issued today intimates that the Court will not be functioning on March 24 and March 27. March 25, Wednesday is Court holiday on account of Gudi Padwa..Further, it is notified that the Court will only take extremely urgent matters on the days it sits between 12 noon and 2 pm. However, filing shall continue, its informed. .The notice adds, that no oral mentioning will be permitted. Rather, urgent matters would be listed based on requests mailed in advance. In this regard, the notice reads, ."The praecipe for circulation for Monday i.e. 23rd March 2020 shall be sent only through E-mails (i) rgjudl-bhc@nic.in and (ii) rgjud2-bhc@nic.in on 20th March 2020 and that for 26th March 2020 would be sent on 23rd March 2020 before 11.00 A.M. No oral mentioning would be permitted. If praecipe is allowed, then only the matter would be listed on board."Notice.Further advocates, litigants and the public have been requested to circulate "only extremely urgent matters that cannot wait beyond the next week.".Last Saturday, March 14, the Court issued the first of its directives to restrict its functioning in the wake of the pandemic. Last Monday, the Court also imposed Rs 15,000 as costs on a litigant for his insistence on listing a non-urgent matter..Maharashtra presently has the highest number of COVID-19 affected persons, at 45 persons as of March 19..[Read the Notice]