Coronavirus scare: Calcutta HC Chief Justice extends advisory on hearing

The Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on Thursday extended till March 25 an advisory that the high court, along with its circuit benches and subordinate courts in West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands will hear urgent matters only to avoid mass gatherings in view of the coronavirus outbreak, an official said.

In a fresh notification, Calcutta High Court registrar general Rai Chattopadhyay said no adverse orders will be passed on matters where parties are found absent till the situation persists.

Upon consideration of the recommendation of a committee comprising justices Dipankar Dutta, Sanjib Banerjee and I P Mukerji following review of the situation evolving out of the coronavirus outbreak, Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan extended the advisory issued on March 15.

"This advisory shall apply to the high court and its circuit benches at Port Blair and Jalpaiguri as well as the district judiciary, in West Bengal and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands," Chattopadhyay said in the fresh notification issued on Thursday.

The cause list will be published for only those matters which are urgent and mentioned before the respective benches for listing, according to the original notification issued on March 15.

Instead of physically producing undertrial prisoners in courts, a video conference facility should be availed, the notification said. The presence of staffers in all courts in the state shall be reduced by at least half and the office shall ensure that they work on rotation, the registrar general said.

"Courts should not insist on the presence of the parties, unless it is unavoidable," the notification said, adding that appropriate measures need to be taken to regulate entry of litigants and general public in the court complex to avoid crowding.

It asked doctors working in the medical unit to be present at all entry points of the main building and the centenary and sesquicentenary buildings of the high court with "thermal guns" to check the temperature of every single entrant.

If a person is found to be suffering from fever, immediate follow-up action should be taken by the doctors stationed at such points, including restricting their entry.