Cuttack: Soon the Orissa High Court (HC) will have a drop box on its premises to collect petitions from people amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The court had earlier introduced e-filing system to accept petitions and applications from people as part of an effort to check the spread of novel coronavirus. The HC had also imposed restrictions on the entry of people into its premises in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to sources, people will be allowed to drop their petitions at the box within 10 am and 1 pm. Besides, the petitioners would also submit a written statement describing the gravity of the petitions. The HC has asked people to adhere to the social distancing norms strictly while dropping their petitions at the box.
Meanwhile, the HC has decided to restrict its functioning till August 21. It will take up only the urgent cases, sources said.
In a notification, the court has put emphasis on the e-mail and e-filing systems to accept petitions from people. The court will conduct hearing on urgent cases through videoconferencing, sources added.
It is learnt that three division benches and four single-judge benches of the HC would conduct hearing on some urgent cases Monday. Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq, Justice Savitri Ratho, Justice Krushnaram Mahapatra and Justice Sanjay Kumar Mishra will hear cases at the division benches while Justice Sangam Kumar Sahu, Debabrata Das, Justice Sangam Kumar Sahu and Justice Sanjiv Kumar Panigrahi would hear the cases at the single-judge benches.
Guidelines for courts in Cuttack dist
The Cuttack district judge, meanwhile, issued a guideline for all lower courts to conduct hearing on cases amid the pandemic. The courts in Cuttack district will work from 10 am to 1 pm and conduct hearing on urgent cases. The hearing would be conducted through videoconferencing and virtual mode. The court will remain shut on Saturdays and they will work with limited employees.
“If there is no scope for videoconferencing, the courts can conduct physical hearing,” said the guideline.