It is hereby notified for information of all concerned that from Tuesday, the 17th March, 2020 the cause list will be published for only those matters which are urgent in nature and mentioned before the respective Benches for listing.
The doctors working in the medical unit or appropriate personnel shall be there at all entry points i.e. Gates ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘E’ of the Main Building and also at the Centenary and the Sesquicentenary Buildings of the High Court with thermal guns to check the temperature of every entrant, be it Hon’ble Judges, the learned Lawyers, staff or litigants. If someone is found to have a fever, immediate follow- up action shall be taken by the doctors stationed at such points including restricting of entry.
The Registrar General shall write to the State for increase of the strength of doctors for the High Court and to provide thermal guns in adequate numbers. Request for similar measure be made to the State for all District and Sub- Divisional Courts.
The presence of staff in all Courts in the State shall be reduced by at least half and the office shall ensure that the staff work on rotation.
Courts should not insist on the presence of the parties, unless it is unavoidable. Appropriate measures be taken to regulate entry of the litigants and the general public in the Court Complex to avoid crowding.
The President and the Secretary of the three wings of the Bar of the High Court and the President and General Secretary of the respective District Court Bar Associations are requested to issue necessary directions in order to ensure that there is no crowding in the Court complex including the lawyers chambers. The Hon’ble Judges and the Bar would also ensure that interns are not permitted in the Court complex till the present situation persists.
All Bar rooms are requested to be closed except for the purpose of learned lawyers obtaining their belongings therefrom.
The lawyers may advise their clients not to visit the Court unless their presence is directed by the Court or is unavoidable.
Till the present situation persists, no adverse/default orders be passed in matters where parties are found to be absent. This will apply even to matters listed on Monday, the 16th March, 2020.
Instead of physical production of undertrial prisoners (UTPs) from jails, facility of video conferencing be availed of.
Registry for the High Court and the District Judges for the sub-ordinate Court shall ensure that sanitizers are available in all Court Rooms and all Deparatments and also in the respective Court complexes for the visitors as well as the staff. Housekeeping agency/staff be asked to ensure that highest level of hygiene is maintained in the Court complex and disinfectants are sprayed on a regular basis.
All activities in the Judicial Academy be postponed from Monday, the 16th March, 2020 until further orders.
All Hon’ble Judges may leave the Court complex and release their staff as early as possible.
Absence of staff on a particular day because of this advisory, shall be treated as ‘On Duty’.
The situation shall be reviewed on Friday the 20th March, 2020.
Calcutta High Court
[Notification dt. 15-03-2020]
