In Covid-19 fight, Punjab and Haryana high court adds new norms for bail plea

CHANDIGARH: It is not just the legislative heads or the executive who are struggling hard to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the judiciary has also been doing its bit by asking litigants appearing before it to “follow the lockdown and social distancing norms”.
The Punjab and Haryana high court, which is holding e-courts via video-conferencing these days, has added compliance of lockdown/curfew norms as one of the new conditions in addition to other conditions imposed on petitioners approaching the court for bail.
“The petitioner shall comply with all requisite conditions imposed under lockdown/curfew as the case may be including conditions regarding medical screening and social distancing,” says one of the orders passed by Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, who was holding the court last week as per the roster. He had mentioned these conditions in all the orders while deciding bail pleas filed by several petitioners.
It is not for the first time that the high court has taken such an initiative through its judicial orders at the time of any crisis. Earlier in August-September 2018, when flood ravaged Kerala, the judiciary in Punjab and Haryana high court had directed the “erring” litigants to deposit from Rs 2,500 to Rs 50,000 for relief fund. The amount was imposed as cost on litigants by the judges in relation to the case. The money was ordered to be deposited in the Kerala chief minister’s distress relief fund.
Besides this, HC judges have also been directing the “erring litigants” to pay for PGIMER poor patients relief fund or for any other social cause while imposing any cost on them for their faults in the court. All the 55-sitting HC judges have also donated Rs 10,000 each towards PM relief fund to control the pandemic. Besides, a large number of judges at their individual capacity have contributed some amount for purchase of PPE kits and other relief material.
Justice Rajiv Sharma of the HC has donated Rs 50,000 in Haryana corona relief fund and some amount for Corona relief fund.
According to norms, both the parties have to make an advance mentioning through e-mail to the high court administration. Once it is clear that the matter involves urgency, the cases are heard through video-conference where the advocates of all the parties as well as the bench have been hearing the matter through video-conferencing.