By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has introduced a month-long standard operating procedure (SOP) mandating virtual hearings on Mondays and Fridays and partial work-from-home arrangements for court staff as part of fuel conservation measures.
The SOP will come into effect from May 25 and remain operational till June 26, after which it will be reviewed by the High Court.
According to a notification issued by the registrar general on Thursday, all matters listed before the Gauhati High Court and its outlying benches on Mondays and Fridays will preferably be heard through video conferencing. Links for virtual hearings will be provided, while Court Masters have been directed to coordinate with stakeholders to ensure smooth conduct of proceedings.
The notification stated that the SOP was framed following a communication from the office of the Chief Justice of India and an office memorandum issued by the Union Department of Personnel and Training as part of energy-saving measures.
Under the new arrangement, up to 50 per cent of staff in administrative and judicial sections will attend office on alternate days, subject to administrative convenience. Employees working remotely have been directed to remain available through mobile phones and the e-Office platform during working hours and report to office if required at short notice.
The High Court has also made the use of e-Office mandatory for administrative file movement and official communication.
As part of the fuel-saving measures, judges have been encouraged to use car-pooling wherever feasible, while the use of official registry vehicles for administrative errands has been curtailed.
Certain essential sections, including the protocol, filing, copying, bench, computer and e-Courts sections, have been exempted from the work-from-home and fuel conservation measures due to the critical nature of their responsibilities.
The SOP will also apply to district courts across Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. District judges, chief judicial magistrates and other judicial authorities have been directed to issue separate notifications for implementation in their respective jurisdictions.
The High Court further stated that all training programmes conducted by the Judicial Academy, Assam will be held in virtual mode during the period.