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Fresh Covid surge: 450 officials tested +ve in Punjab, Haryana courts
A senior official said 200 court staffers and 50 judicial officers have tested positive in Punjab and 70 staffers and 14 judicial officers in Haryana. So far, 115 officers and other court staff members have tested positive at the high court in Chandigarh
Chandigarh: As many as 450 officials have tested positive for Covid-19 in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh courts in the fresh surge of the virus being reported across country.
A senior official said 200 court staffers and 50 judicial officers have tested positive in Punjab and 70 staffers and 14 judicial officers in Haryana. So far, 115 officers and other court staff members have tested positive at the high court in Chandigarh.
The data is learnt to have been shared at a meeting which was held on Monday to review the Covid-19 situation, chaired by justice Ajay Tewari. The meeting was held with the members of the Bar Council and high court Bar Association, among others.
Earlier on January 5, the high court shifted to virtual mode hearings and from January 10, the HC further curtailed operations and only 50% judges are holding the courts since then.
The courts have been functioning with restrictions since March 2020.
Limited hearings through physical mode were resumed on February 8, 2021. However, these had to be suspended in April again in view of the second wave. It again started the limited physical hearing on September 6, 2021, and in the following months, cases were taken up through physical as well as virtual mode before fresh decision of opting for virtual mode was taken on January 5.
The restrictions that Covid-19 pandemic induced have led to a massive increase in pendency of cases. According to a government data tracking agency, National Judicial Data Grid, pendency of cases in high court on December 31 was 4.48 lakh with 69,000-odd cases added to the list in 2021 alone. In Haryana, the pendency has gone up to 12.82 lakh cases, 9.19 lakh in Punjab and 69,000 in Chandigarh.
