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550 court employees infected with Covid in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh: HC
As on April 29, two judges of the high court, three judicial officers and 62 other officials are positive
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday said that at least 550 court employees in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are Covid positive.
In a statement, the high court said that a large number of officials and their families are afflicted with Covid and numbers are increasing rapidly. As on April 29, two judges of high court, three judicial officers and 62 other officials are positive.
In district courts, around 100 judicial officers and 400 other court employees are positive, the high court said, adding that a spouse of a judicial officer in Punjab has succumbed to the virus and an employee in high court too has died.
There are around 20,000 employees in high court and district courts in the two states and Chandigarh. The statement appears to have come in the wake of Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association (PHHCBA) threatening to launch an agitation demanding that cases be listed without the “online mentioning” process.
The high court said that in view increasing Covid infections, the courts are functioning in a restrictive manner. It further said that cases will be taken up through video conferencing only. Urgency of cases for listing will be determined by the judges nominated by the chief justice. All pending matters listed for hearing between May 1 and May 28 have been adjourned for hearing in August and September. The high court also said that in case of urgency, a lawyer can request for advancing of hearing on old cases through online mentioning.
The PHHCBA, acting on the move, passed a resolution requesting the high court to withdraw the order on listing of cases through mentioning. “The executive committee will be left with no other alternative but to resort to agitation mode in case the needful is not done within seven days,” Bar president GBSD Dhillon said adding, that the Bar was not kept in loop while taking a decision.
The high court had restarted physical hearing of cases in February. However, it was suspended last week in view of rising number of cases. Now, cases are being taken up through video conferencing and listing of cases in most categories is being decided after an online mentioning for the same is done. The approval is granted for hearing by designated judges.
