After the gap of nearly 140 days, physical hearing at Ranchi Civil Court resumed on Tuesday in hybrid mode. As per hybrid mode, the court will function in both physical and virtual mode. 50 percent court hearing will be done in physical mode, while the rest 50 per cent hearing will be done in virtual mode. The Ranchi Judicial Commissioner, Navneet Kumar in this connection has issued directions, preparing the roster plan for 38 judicial officers for appearance in hybrid mode.
As per the roster, Principal Judge (family court) Piyush Kumar has been assigned physical hearing of cases on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while he will hear cases on virtual mode on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. In the same way, additional judge of family court Prem Lata Tripathi, will hear cases on physical mode on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, while she will hear cases on virtual mode on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Same arrangement has been made for other judges too. Meanwhile, the Ranchi District Bar Association has made elaborate arrangements at court premises. Wearing of masks and sanitizers has been made mandatory.
Ranchi Civil Court resumed hearing in hybrid mode, after the High Court Registrar general on Saturday issued directions to all Civil Courts to resume physical and virtual hearing following standard operating procedure (SoP). As courts have resumed physical as well as virtual hearing, the lawyers at Ranchi Civil Court have welcomed the decision. A lawyer at Ranchi Civil Court requesting anonymity said, “After four months, physical hearing of cases resumed today. For an advocate, physical hearing of cases is always beneficial as it is the Bar Association chamber where clients meet lawyers, discussing the cases.”
On Tuesday Ranchi Civil Court witnessed a huge rush of people at court premises. Lawyers, clients and judicial officers were seen at Ranchi District Bar Association Building. However, some lawyers are scared of the rush of people. Sanjay Kumar Vidrohi, a lawyer at Civil Court said, “There was a specific arrangement from Ranchi District Bar Association for Covid protocols. The RDBA should prepare SoP for lawyers and clients at Court premises.” The lawyer statement assumes importance as in the second wave of the pandemic several lawyers from Ranchi Bar Association lost their lives battling infection.