Bar council stage protest for resumption of physical courts

The Bar council of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh on Monday has resolved to protest the non-resumption of physical court hearings by staging a sit-in protest on August 13, 2020. The protest is planned for one hour from 11:30am to 12:30 am with proper social distancing and other Covid-19 safety protocols.

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, normal court proceedings were affected including physical hearings and regular functioning of the court. The body also mentioned the plight of lawyers due to the closure of Bar libraries and prolonged unfinished work.

The protest was planned by the Chairperson of Bar Council, Advocate Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Chaudhuri in a meeting held on Monday.

A seven judge committee in the Supreme court constituted by the Chief Justice of India on Tuesday also held a meeting regarding the same.

"The judge's committee is seriously considering to start at least 2-3 physical courts from the next week and in the meantime, the Registry would take necessary steps to prepare the courts for physical functioning," the Supreme Court Advocates On Records Association(SCAORA) said.

Additionally, the SCAORA said the physical courts will be an addition to the now existing virtual courts, if allowed to resume.