COVID19 : Karnataka HC, Trial Courts To Be Closed From March 24 To April 6; Only Extremely Urgent Matters To Be Taken Up [Read Notification]

Karnataka High Court and all District and Trial courts in the state will remain closed from March 24 to April 6. This period shall be treated as the closure of the Courts for the purpose of Section 4 of the Limitation Act, 1963.

As per a notification issued today, Chief Justice A S Oka has nominated judges to sit in courts halls to hear extremely urgent matters during the period of closure, in the High Court. The in-charge Courts shall function from 11 am to 12.30 pm only. No other Courts will function on those days. On all other days, all Courts will remain closed.

On Tuesday the 24th March 2020, filing of urgent matters will be permitted only between 11.00 AM to 12.30 PM, in the high court. No appeals, Petitions or Applications of Civil nature will be received on the date on which filing is permitted, except in cases where it is sought to obtain extreme urgent interim orders like stay orders, interim directions and temporary injunctions etc. Criminal Appeals, Criminal Revision Petitions, Criminal Petitions where it is sought to obtain extreme urgent orders, stay orders and interim directions etc. in Criminal matters will be received on the date on which filing is permitted.

The notification pertaining to the high court reads that "During the closure period, no members of Bar or their Registered Clerks will be permitted to do the rectification of office objections in the matters which are already filed. Only for payment of process fee, entry will be allowed on Thursday, 26th March 2020 between 11.00 AM to 12.30 PM."

Further it is said that "Directions issued prohibiting the entry of litigants to the premises of the High Court as per the memorandum dated 21.03.2020 shall continue to apply until further orders subject to modification made hereunder. Only those members of the Bar and their Registered Clerks who have moved the memos, will be allowed to enter the High Court premises during the closure period only on the days on which sittings of Benches are fixed. All the memos shall be moved before the Special Benches notified as above."

On Thursday the 26th, Friday the 27th and Saturday the 28th March 2020, the High Court and its office shall remain closed. On 24th March 2020, the office of High Court will work only till 1.30 PM. However, on Thursday the 26th March 2020, skeleton staff for the purpose of functioning of the Special Benches notified on that day will remain present and selected staff members will be available at filing counter between 11.00 AM to 12.30 PM for accepting process fees. Filing of matter on Thursday the 26th March 2020 will be permitted only in urgent matters that also only with the orders by the Benches sitting on that day.

In the week commencing from 30th March 2020, there will be sitting of High Court and its Benches only on 31st March 2020. There will be special sitting of the first Court on Monday the 30th March 2020 for hearing PILs at 10.30 AM.

As per the notification for the district and trial courts "There will be maximum two or three Courts nominated as in-charge Courts in the District Headquarters, as may be decided by the Unit Heads / Prl. District and Sessions Judges of the concerned Districts. Remand matters be entertained physically or digitally by the jurisdictional Magistrates or Special Judges, as the case may be, at their respective Home Offices. Any one of the Sr. Civil Judge or Civil Judge & JMFC shall be nominated, apart from Addl. District & Sessions Judge if regularly sitting in a Taluka, as in-charge Judges for the Taluka Courts. The Judicial Officers and staff shall be posted in-charge on rotation basis."

Click Here To Download Notification

[Read Notification]