[COVID 19] Meghalaya HC Extends All Interim Orders, Bail Orders Etc. By Courts In The State [Read Order]

In the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, the Meghalaya High Court has passed an order extending interim orders, bail orders etc. by Courts in the state.

The division bench comprising of Justices W. Diengdoh and H.S. Thangkhiew issued the following directives to ensure that litigants should not suffer on account of their inability to approach the Courts of law, and are not deprived of the benefits of the interim orders granted by the High Court, subordinate Courts, District Council Courts or the tribunals, as the case may be.

• All interim orders/directions, including any order requiring compliance by the parties to such proceedings, passed by the High Court of Meghalaya, including all the subordinate Courts, District Council Courts and all other Tribunals in the State, over which this Court has power of superintendence, that were subsisting as on 20th March, 2020, may stand extended till 30th April 2020, unless vacated or modified earlier or until further orders of the Court, unless specifically dealt with by any judicial order to the contrary. We, however, make it clear that those interim orders/ directions which are not of a limited duration and are to operate until further orders will remain unaffected.
• All orders passed by the Courts exercising criminal jurisdiction having granted bail or anticipatory bail, parole etc., for a limited period which are likely to expire on or before 30th April, 2020, shall stand extended till 30th April, 2020 subject to any orders passed by the said forums even before the said expiry date or, thereafter, to enable the respective Courts to deal with any abuse of the orders of the concerned party.
• If the Government of Meghalaya and/ or any of its departments and/ or functionaries, Central Government and/ or its departments or functionaries or any public sector undertaking or any public or private company or any firm or any individual or person is/ are, by order of this Court or any Court subordinate to it or any District Council Court, required to do a particular thing or carry out certain direction in a particular manner in a time frame which is going to expire at any time before 14th April 2020, such time shall stand extended upto 30th April 2020. 

Yesterday, the Gujarat High Court has extended the life of all interim orders passed by it and by the courts subordinate to it, that expired subsequent to March 19, till June 15. Various other High Courts including Kerala, Allahabad, Delhi High Courts had passed similar orders earlier.

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