The Madras High Court has decided to permit physical open court hearings in 10 more districts in the State. It was already permitted in nine districts.
The permission has been granted with an advisory that lawyers aged over 65 can avoid such physical hearings and instead argue cases through videoconferencing.
A circular issued by the High Court Registry stated that district headquarters and taluk courts in Ariyalur, Perambalur, Erode, Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Namakkal, Dindigul, Virudhunagar and Kanniyakumari, apart from the taluk courts in Tiruppur district alone, could start holding physical open court hearings from Monday.
The High Court had already permitted such hearings in district headquarters as well as taluk courts in Dharmapuri, The Nilgiris, Krishnagiri, Tiruvarur, Theni, Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam, Karur and Sivaganga districts, with a rider that not more than five advocates, including the government counsel, would be permitted inside court halls at a time.
Other restrictions, such as using masks, hand sanitisers and following physical distancing norms had also been imposedduring the hearings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
