Rajasthan High Court. (File)Work at the Jaipur bench of Rajasthan High Court will remain suspended for the next three days after some staff recently tested positive for Covid-19, officials said.
According to a notice issued by the Registrar General of the high court, tests will be conducted during this period on the court premises. “In view of recent results of Covid-19 tests conducted in Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur Bench, it is notified that court and office work in Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur Bench shall remain suspended between August 17 and August 19 for Covid-19 testing.”
“All the concerned persons are requested to get them(selves) tested for Covid-19,” the notice said.
On August 14, five staff members of the Jaipur bench of the high court had tested positive, according to the Health Department.
On August 15, Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty hoisted the flag at a ceremony where judges, lawyers, and others participated. In a video uploaded by the high court, the Chief Justice can be seen hoisting the tricolour without wearing a mask or gloves.
There was a brief scare after the result of the first test of the Chief Justice came in positive and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter to express his concerns.
“The CJ’s first sample had returned positive but two subsequent tests conducted in the last 48 hours for confirmation have returned negative,” said Jaipur’s Chief Medical and Health Officer Narottam Sharma. He said the positive result could be a “technical or a clerical error”.
“After the result came positive, I personally ensured proper collection of samples and their testing,” Sharma said.
The Rajasthan High Court had on March 17 issued a notification, stating that only urgent matters will be taken up at the high court, subordinate courts, special courts and tribunals in the state. Eventually, the high court started hearing matters over video conferencing.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Rajasthan. The total case count in the state now stands at 60,666 of which 14,265 are active. So far, 875 people have died in the state due to the infection.