In A First For Top Court, Single-Judge Bench To Hear Cases From Wednesday

A Supreme Court seat typically has at least two judges (File)

New Delhi:

For the first time since its beginning, the Supreme Court will have a single-judge seat hearing certain kinds of petitions in Wednesday. The new system is being released to dispose of stacked up pending cases.

A Supreme Court bench typically has two judges.

The single-judge seat will hear appeals of bail and anticipatory bail petitions in cases that involve offences responsible for punishment of not more than seven-year prison term. Earlier, such cases were heard by two-judge chairs.

In September this past year, the Supreme Court amended its rules to allow one judge hear bond, anticipatory bond and transfer petitions.

As stated by the law ministry, until July last year, the court needed over 11.5 lakh pending instances.

Amid the coronavirus lockdown, the Supreme Court is hearing issues of extreme urgency during video conferencing on Skype, Facetime and WhatsApp programs.

A circular in March, issued by top court’s secretary general, had said that for several matters involving extreme urgency that the Advocate on Record (AOR) or even party-in-person was needed to initially file the petition or a program, preferably through the e-filing manner. Then, he had to file another program comprising a synopsis of extreme urgency.

“Since the prevailing situation demands that men become deterred from undertaking any kind of journey/travel, the apex court is taking all measures required to run the hearings through remote video conferencing connections, and hence AORs/Parties-in-persons are advised to refrain from exercising the choice of participating in the hearing via video conferencing link facility accessible at the SC premises for the current, because that would involve unnecessary and avoidable traveling through public areas,” it had read.

Chief Justice Of India SA Bobde had told NDTV that the courtroom was doing whatever it can during the crisis. “We are not taking rest and we are functioning and disposing of those cases. We operate 210 days in a year as per our calendar,” he explained.