Virtual hearing in courts

As a sufficient safety precautionary measure in respect of the surge in the COVID-19 cases across the UT of Jammu and Kashmir as also the UT of Ladakh, the decision of filing and hearing of cases in High Courts, district and subordinate courts and Tribunals till May 15 through virtual mode is in the best interests of the safety of the court officials and litigants. Physical hearing in respect of any listed matter will be entirely at the discretion of the Bench which in other words means as to how much urgency a particular hearing denoted .Entry of litigants, public and clerks of the Advocates into the court premises from the outer gate being prohibited would prove further helpful in reducing crowds and groups of people in the court precincts and eliminate the chances of spreading of the dreaded virus infection. That, twice a week, entire court premises is slated to be sanitized is yet another major step to fight and contain the spread of the virus .If the system really works with the same zeal and enthusiasm as in the last year, where better results in performance were obtained, we feel this time with the same tempo, disposal of more cases could be possible. The order of the Chief Justice of the High Court has details about other particulars in respect of filing of cases etc . Advocates , under the order, however, are not allowed to have physical presence in respect of case hearing but only in extreme cases of urgency otherwise under the virtual system, link created by the Presiding Officer of the concerned court shall connect lawyers and litigants for the purpose.