COVID-19: Madras HC To Continue Restricted Functioning Till April 30 [Read Notification]

In view of the prevailing situation of the pandemic of COVID-19, the Madras High Court has decided to extend the period of suspension of regular court work until April 30. Through notification issued in this behalf yesterday, the Registrar General intimated that the order of suspension of regular works of the High Court and the Subordinate Courts under its control shall...

Hearing Cases Via Video Calling Is Less Time-Consuming, Helpful To Analyze The Exact Scenario Of Each Case: Madras HC [Read Judgment]

Amidst forced virtual hearings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Madras High Court cited a brief note expressing affirmation and benefits of conducting court hearings via video conferencing. While hearing the writ petition filed by two Korean nationals seeking release from allegedly congested detention camps in Tamil Nadu, Justice S. Vaidyanathan, who took stock of the actual...

Policy Decision Of Government for Conversion of Railway Coaches To Isolation Wards Cannot Be Interfered With by Court: Madras HC [Read Order]

"In this critical situation, the yeomen services that are being rendered by Doctors to Covid patients cannot be let slip from memory forever and this Court really extends its profound appreciation to Doctors, Nurses, Police, Last Grade Employees of Corporation and the Officials of the Health Department." The Madras High Court on Thursday lauded the government for taking timely steps...

Rajasthan HC Allows To Waive The Condition Of Two Sureties For Release Of Prisoners Also Directs Not To Compel Them To Surrender During Lockdown [Read Order]

Following the track of the Allahabad High Court, the Jaipur bench of the Rajasthan High Court also on Friday waived the condition of furnishing two surety bonds by each inmate for their release on parole, considering these "peculiar circumstances" of a nation-wide lockdown, observing that "else purpose of the order of parole shall frustrate".The High Court also directed the state and its...

Allahabad HCBA Write To Chief Justice Seeking Clarifications On E-Filing Notice; Urge For Leniency Until Advocates Adopt To Digitalization [Read Letter]

The Allahabad High Court Bar Association has sought certain clarifications with regard to the E-filing procedure notified by the Registry last week. In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Govind Mathur, the HCBA has sought clarity as to what matters constitute "urgent matters" and whether all bail/ anticipatory bail applications would alone be treated as urgent for...

Bombay HC Orders Exclusion Of Lockdown Duration From 90-Days Period For NPA Declaration [Read Order]

The Bombay High Court has passed an interim order that the lockdown period must be excluded from computing the 90 day period for declaring a loan account as Non-Performing Asset(NPA).The loan account was already on default on March 1, 2020, the date from which the moratorium advised by the Reserve Bank of India as part of COVID-19 relief package is applicable.The petitioner in the case...

Whether Offence Punishable With Imprisonment Which 'May Extend To Three Years' Cognizable or Non-Cognisable?- Rajasthan HC Refers To Larger Bench [Read Order]

The Rajasthan High Court is set to consider the question of law, "What would be the nature of an offence (whether cognisable or non-cognisable) for which imprisonment 'may extend to three years' is provided and no stipulation is made in the statute regarding it being cognisable/non-cognisable?" A Single Judge of Court last week required the matter to be placed before a Larger Bench...

Union Home Ministry Writes To State Govts For Compliance Of SC Directions On Migrant Workers

The Ministry of Home Affairs has written to all States/Union Territories for compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court with regard to the welfare of migrant labourers who have been housed at relief shelters/camps across the country in wake of the national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The direction from the MHA comes a day before the pleas filed by activists Harsh...

Patiala House Court Issues Further Guidelines On Hearing Urgent Matters Through Video Conferencing [Read Order]

Patiala House Court has decided to conduct hearings on urgent matters through video conferencing. The decision has been taken in pursuance of the order of the Supreme Court in a suo moto matter, dated 06/04/20, which had directed for initiating video conferencing in district courts. The Computer Branch of the Patiala House Court has been directed by the District and...

Karnataka Govt. Informs HC About The Steps Taken To Ensure Welfare of Animals in Zoos [Read Submission]

The State Government on Thursday tendered its written submission to the Karnataka High Court in which it enumerated steps being taken to ensure welfare of animals in Zoos and that of captive elephants owned by the Government as well as private persons, including temples and Mutt. Zoos have been included in the list of essential services by the Ministry of Home Affairs. There are...

Allahabad HC Notifies Benches For Hearing Urgent Cases Between April 15-17; Issues Post-Lockdown Protocol To Be Followed AT All Courts/ Tribunals [Read Notifications]

The Allahabad has constituted 2 Division Benches and 12 Single Benches, including 3 e-Courts, to hear extremely urgent cases between April 15 and April 17, 2020, i.e. when the nationwide lockdown is expected to be relaxed. The benches have been constituted with prior approval of the Chief Justice, keeping in view the huge number of filings taking place every day. The list of benches...

Delhi HC Denies Bail To Accused Who Wanted To Support His Family As Father Is Quarantined Due To COVID19 [Read Order]

Delhi High Court has denied interim bail to a person who wanted to take care of his family in Bijnor as his father has been quarantined due to COVID19 and can't support the family. While denying the bail, the Single Bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait reasoned that the Petitioner's father has already completed 7 days in quarantine and he is left with only 7 more days for the quarantine...