SC to take a call on whether to extend Holi break

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will take a call on Friday whether to have an extended Holi break in view of the Covid-19 outbreak, as it is set to reopen on March 16.

A meeting was held on Thursday at the residence of Chief Justice of India SA Bobde to discuss the issue. The judges are expected to hold another meeting on Friday to decide whether to postpone the reopening date.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will take call on Friday whether to have an extended Holi break in view of the Covid-19 outbreak.

A brief meeting was held on Thursday evening at the residence of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), SA Bobde, to discuss the issue.

The meeting was also attended by Supreme Court judges, justices Arun Mishra and UU Lalit, attorney general KK Venugopal, solicitor general

Tushar Mehta, officials from the health ministry, besides representatives of the two lawyers bodies, Supreme Court Bar Association and Supreme Court Advocate-on-record Association.

The judges are expected to hold another meeting in this regard before Friday afternoon to decide whether the top court, which is set to reopen on March 16, should postpone the reopening date.

Besides the option of extending the vacation, the judges might also consider whether to function in a limited manner by taking up matters requiring urgent hearing.

The Supreme Court campus and court rooms are overcrowded, particularly between Mondays and Fridays when a large number of cases are listed for admission raising concerns of the spread of coronavirus.

The court is currently shut for Holi break with only a vacation bench sitting to deal with urgent matters.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across India shot to 73 on Thursday.