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Omicron is a silent killer, suffering for 25 days: CJI
The comment came after the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president and senior advocate Vikas Singh urged the CJI to resume full physical hearings instead of hybrid mode of court hearings.
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is a “silent killer”, observed Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Wednesday, as the Supreme Court judge shared his personal experience about recovering from the disease.
The comment came after the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president and senior advocate Vikas Singh urged the CJI to resume full physical hearings instead of hybrid mode of court hearings. While the CJI replied that there was a daily jump of 15,000 cases, Singh said Omicron was “much milder” than the previous variants of the coronavirus.
“It is a silent killer… I suffered in the first wave but recovered in four days, but now in this wave, it has been 25 days and I am still suffering,” justice Ramana said.
Singh said: “Your Lordship has been unlucky in that regard. But people are recovering.”
To this, the CJI said: “We will see.”
The Supreme Court has moved to physical hearing of cases on Wednesdays and Thursdays from February 14, citing a “significant” decline in Covid-19 cases.
The top court’s administration has revived the standard operating procedure dated October 7, 2021, which mandates only physical hearings on Wednesday and Thursday while allowing hybrid hearing on Tuesdays. The hearing of cases on Mondays and Fridays is to be done strictly through video-conferencing.
The top court had shifted to complete virtual hearings from January 2 in the wake of the third Covid-19 wave, fuelled by the Omicron variant.
