HC lists 350 cases for hearing amid lockdown
Cuttack: The Orissa high court on Monday listed over 350 cases for hearing, cancelling its summer vacation in view of the loss of regular working days due to lockdown after the Covid-19 outbreak. Over 300 bail matters along with some criminal appeals and writ petitions found place in the weekly list before the courts of five single judge benches. The registrar general on Sunday notified that the ensuing summer vacation has been cancelled both for the high court and subordinate courts in the state.
According to the high court calendar, summer vacation is from May 18 to June 16. Judges are assigned to hold vacation courts for 10 to 12 days during the vacation. In a notice, the registrar (Judicial) said the high court shall function on all five working days of the week with one division bench each on Tuesday and Thursday and five single benches on each working day of the week (except on May 22). The judges sitting in the division bench will also hold single benches after completion of the work of the division bench. The notice said the filing counters of the court will be open from 10.30 am to 1 pm on all working days.
With the loss in working hours litigants are facing severe hardships and difficulties on account of the lockdown and consequent suspension of functioning of the courts.
Initially, the high court had been taking up only urgent matters through video conference since functioning of the court was suspended due to the lockdown on March 25. From April 17, one division bench and two single judge benches functioned on each alternate day through video conference.
Since May 4, the high court had been functioning on all five working days of the week even as its normal working remained suspended in view of the extension of the nationwide lockdown.