SC to resume physical hearing on five days starting next week

New Delhi, Mar 30: The Supreme Court will resume full physical hearing on all five week days as was the practice before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement to resume physical hearings on all five days of the week from Monday onwards was made by Chief Justice of India N V Ramanna.

The CJI however added that on Mondays and Fridays links for online hearings would be provided if the advocates need it.

Last month the Supreme Court Bar Association had requested the CJI that physical hearings in the Supreme Court be reassumed to the pre-pandemic level as the COVID-19 situation is in control and stressed that 'open court hearing' is both the "convention and constitutional requirement". In a letter addressed to the CJI, SCBA president Vikas Singh said the positivity rate in the national capital has come down to below four percent and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has decided to reopen schools, colleges and gyms here with effect from February 7.

The letter said due to the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, the Supreme Court had started hearing matters virtually and from November 9 last year, it had commenced physical hearing on three days - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - in a week.

"The hearing in open court is both the convention and a constitutional requirement in the Supreme Court. It is, therefore, requested that physical hearing in Supreme Court be resumed forthwith as it was pre-pandemic," said the letter, a copy of which has also been sent to the five senior-most judges of the top court.