NEW DELHI: In view of the increasing COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the Supreme Court on Monday preponed the summer vacation by one week. The summer break will start on May 8 and continue till June 27 with the Court reopening on June 28.
The decision was taken after an emergency meeting was held by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana with the representatives of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association (SCAORA) and the Bar Council of India.
“After a detailed discussion today in the emergency meeting, it was concluded that the summer vacations of SC will be preponed to May 7 and re-opening of the SC will accordingly be preponed to June 28 tentatively,” the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) said in an official statement.
“Further, the CJI principally agreed to provide a suitable area for establishing medical facilities for at least 60 beds and other facilities like RT-PCR test and vaccination,” the SCBA said.
SCBA had pointed out the surge in COVID-19 cases and the extension of lockdown in Delhi till May 3. In view of the same, the SCBA had earlier written a letter to the CJI requesting to prepone the summer vacations from April 26, instead of May 14.
“With the rise in the number of Covid cases, the Delhi Government has extended the lockdown in Delhi by another week. Given the current situation and the likelihood of the pandemic touching its peak in the middle of May which may result in further extension of the lockdown in Delhi, it is requested that the Supreme Court may consider preponing the summer vacations so that the same may commence from Monday itself i.e., from April 26, 2021,” the letter stated.
The SCBA suggested that the summer vacations can be curtailed by one week so as to limit it to six weeks instead of seven.
Accordingly, the SCBA in its letter had requested the Apex Court that the summer vacations may end by June 6 and the normal courts can start from June 7. (Agency)