Physical hearings Guj courts soon

With significant drop in coronavirus cases, the Gujarat High Court has decided to resume physical functioning of lower courts in four major cities of the state from March 1. The courts in Gujarat had ceased their judicial work in March last year following the announcement of coronavirus-induced lockdown. But online hearings had started from June. Starting Januar y 18, all the lower courts across Gujarat, except those located in the four major cities — Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot — had resumed work from their respective premises following a high court's directive. In a circular issued on Friday, the high court said, all "subordinate courts, except in micro containment zones, at Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot shall start functioning physically from March 1 with regular court working hours of 10.45 am to 6.10 pm".