No concrete decision yet to resume SC physical hearings: Bar Council officials

In a meeting called by the Chief Justice of India, Sharad Arvind Bobde on Monday, Bar Council of India officials informed that no concrete decision was decided to resume physical hearings at the Supreme Court.

The meeting was attended by the Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta; the Chairman of Bar Council of India, M K Mishra and other officer bearers of Supreme Court Advocates on Records Association (SCAORA).

The meeting decided, pursuant to the representation of SCAORA that physical access to the advocates on record/their assignees or nominees to the registry will be available from February 8.

"The process for the resumption of physical hearings has already begun and will be available soon in a hybrid manner that is in both modes of physical hearing and virtual hearing at the earliest; after considering the medical advice and clearing the existing impediments regarding health of the stakeholders, technology infrastructures and availability of staff of Registry," Bar Council of India officials said.

"The said resumption of physical hearings in a hybrid manner will be based on the normal listing of cases and not based on the consent of the advocates on record/advocates," the official present in the meeting said.

"The mentioning of cases will also be allowed soon based on categories of urgencies in a phased manner, it was decided in the meeting," a senior official told .

On January 15, Former Solicitor General, and ex-president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Vikas Singh had written a letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde, requesting him to resume physical hearings at the Supreme Court, which has been hearing cases virtually in view of COVID-19 for past several months.

Similarly, on January 14, over 500 lawyers had written a letter to the Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde seeking his immediate direction for the resumption of physical hearing in the Supreme Court, stating that the present virtual system of hearing is a failure.

( With inputs from ANI )