BREAKING: Delhi High Court to hear only urgent cases via Video Conferencing until July 23 [Read Notification]

The Delhi High Court has notified that it will continue hearing only urgent cases via video conferencing until July 23, 2021 in view of the present COVID-19 situation. .The decision was taken by the Full Court which has ordered all Benches of the High Court as well as Courts of Registrars/ Joint Registrars (Judicial) to continue to take up urgent matters as per the existing arrangements through video conferencing till June 23, 2021..Other pending, non-routine matters have been adjourned. The dates for adjourned matters have also been informed in the notification..The Full Court is stated to have observed that despite there being a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the utmost precaution should be taken in view of the predicted third wave of the pandemic. The Court also factored in the threat of the Delta Plus variant of concern..As such, the High Court resolved to adopt a policy of wait and watch and to act cautiously, particularly in view of the loss of lives of judicial officers, advocates and court staff amid the COVID-19 pandemic. .Earlier this year, the Court had briefly resumed complete physical functioning from March 15, although it clarified that virtual hearings would continue as the exception and not the norm. Various conditions were also laid down, which had to be met before a party could successfully seek virtual hearing..This eventually led to a petition before the Supreme Court following which the top court asked the High Court to show accommodation when a person requests for virtual hearing, unless the same is sought to be used as an excuse to seek an adjournment..Consequently, within a week of resuming physical hearings, the High Court permitted lawyers/parties to seek virtual/hybrid hearings before it..Later, less than a month after it resumed physical hearings, the High Court was forced to revert to full virtual hearings on April 9 in view of the spike in COVID-19..[Read Notification]