Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 23

Nearly 15 months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court went into restrictive functioning mode following Covid outbreak, it has decided to ensure that the administration of justice was not defeated by dedicating 20 Benches to hear criminal matters.

This is, perhaps, the first time in the past several years that so many Benches will take up cases involving life and liberty.

New roster to expedite hearing

In March 2020, before the outbreak of the pandemic, the High Court had just about 15 Benches hearing regular and anticipatory bail matters, besides other criminal cases. As the virus from Wuhan left the judiciary in crisis with the High Court judges, other judicial officers and the staff testing positive for Covid, the number of cases being heard, including criminal matters, had to be reduced drastically.

But the new roster, which comes into force from June 28, is expected to expedite hearing in all categories of cases, including bail pleas. Cases after 1995 related to senior citizens, crime against women, differently abled person, juveniles, marginalised sections, Prevention of Corruption Act, cases in which proceedings before the lower courts have been stayed and remand cases from the Supreme Court, would also be taken up on priority basis.

An analysis of the roster also makes it clear that almost all judges hearing criminal matters will be taking up anticipatory and regular bail petitions. The roster is significant as the Supreme Court, less than a fortnight ago, had made it clear to the High Court that at least half of the judges were required to sit on alternative days during the prevailing pandemic to accord hearing to “persons in distress”. The High Court, as of now, has 46 judges, with 14 judges in seven Division Benches.

The SC, otherwise also, in the case of Babu Singh vs State of UP had held that right to bail was included in the personal liberty under Article 21. Its refusal would be deprivation of that liberty.