Mail News Service
Ranchi, May 7: In view of the state government�s directives to continue with the lockdown for a further period of two weeks from May 4 and in accordance with the directives and guidelines of the central Ministry of Home Affairs, the Registrar General of the High Court of Jharkhand, Ambuj Nath has notified that physical presence of officers, staff members and lawyers in the courtrooms being nonconductive to social distancing regulations, the system of hearing of court cases through video conferencing with minimum number of personnel in the High Court will continue.
Some more courts will be linked to the video conferencing system of hearing cases. The High Court will function with two Division Benches and three or four Single Judge benches. E-mentioning for civil matters will be made before Division Bench-1 while criminal matters will be taken up with Division Bench-2. Matrimonial appeals are to be taken up with the consent of both parties and in case of criminal appeals where appellants are in custody, such matters would be listed after the entire records including those of the lower courts are scanned.
Although LPA will be taken up with the consent of both parties, the consent of the respondent will not be required in the first hearing subject to the filing of caveat by the respondent. But once the cases are listed and parties do not turn up for hearing, further prayer for listening will not be entertained.
In order to facilitate filing of extremely urgent bail or anticipatory bail applications from various districts, the Registry shall take necessary steps for suspension of the Note in Rule 48 (3) of the Jharkhand High Court Rules, temporarily, authorizing a Notary in every district before whom affidavits shall be sworn for the applications that shall be filed before the civil court. The filing section, in turn, will issue acknowledgements for receipt of the applications and lawyers concerned shall file the scanned copies of the acknowledgements and copies of applications in the High Court through e-filing system.