TS courts to go online from 18 Jan to 4 Feb

Hyderabad: Amidst the sharp rise in daily COVID-19 cases, all courts in Telangana will work only in the online mode from 18 January to 4 February.

"Considering the present situation of the pandemic in the state of Telangana, all subordinate courts in the state shall work in the virtual mode with immediate effect till 4 February, as per the guidelines issued by the High Court. All the unit heads in the state are directed to follow the COVID-19 protocols issued by the Central and state governments and the High Court. Any deviation in this regard will be viewed seriously," said the registar-general of the Telangana High Court.

On 4 January, the Telangana High Court had suspended physical hearing of cases with immediate effect until further orders. However, the High Court had said that judges will have the discretion to hear matters either physically or virtually. The registrars were directed to take instructions from the judges as to the mode of the sitting for notifying the same in advance.

The court had also advised the judges to follow COVID-19 protocols like wearing face masks, using sanitizers, and maintaining physical distancing during physical hearings.