Rising Covid Cases: Karnataka HC Issues Notification On Functioning Of Trial Courts In Bengaluru District

As per the notification issued by the Karnataka High Court, the following restrictions are made applicable:

1) Courts shall take-up only the emergent/ urgent matters/ bail applications/ Petitions / Interim Applications. The hearing of such matters shall be through Hybrid (Virtual / Physical) Mode. As far as possible the same shall be heard through Video Conferencing. For time being rest of matters shall be given date during first/regular hearing.

2) As far as possible, filing of cases should made through e-filing.

3) The request for urgent hearing shall be submitted by the Advocates/Party-in-person through the email address of the Principal District Judges/Principal Judges are the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, as the case may be.

4) Entry of litigants, parties-in-person and advocate clerks, to the Court Complexes shall be prohibited, except the entry of Police Officers and accused for the purpose of remand. Parties-in-person and Advocates Clerks will be permitted to enter only for the purpose of physical filing. However, they shall not unnecessarily enter the court offices. Wherever, the accused is produced physically for remand, advocates are permitted to enter the premises for appearance in those particular cases.

5) Recording of evidence in all Civil and Criminal Cases should be prohibited except in those cases where time-bound schedule has been fixed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court or High Court. Evidence can be recorded in such time-bound cases as well in criminal cases where recording of evidence has been substantially completed.

6) As far as possible, in the cases of accused in jail, their statements under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, be recorded only through video conferencing.

7) Requisition for recording statement under section 164 Cr.PC shall be sent only through email of the concerned court and any order passed thereon shall be communicated to the concerned through SMS/Email.

8) The Remand Court at Gurunanank Bhavan at Bengaluru Urban District shall continue to function till further orders.

9) The Bar Associations shall appeal to the litigants not to come to Court unless and until their presence is absolutely necessary.