Gujarat High Court Notifies Lawyers And Litigants To Settle Outstanding Court Fees For Covid-Era Cases, Urges Compliance Within 30 Days

The Gujarat High Court has issued a notification to lawyers and litigants involved in 29,466 cases, urging them to settle outstanding court fees. These cases, filed during the Covid-19 pandemic period spanning from March 22, 2020, to January 7, 2022, have been flagged by the High Court for either non-payment or insufficient payment of court fees.

The notification, issued by the High Court's registrar (judicial), directs concerned parties to make payments within 30 days from the date of the circular. Failure to comply within the stipulated timeframe will result in the outstanding court fees being recovered as arrears of land revenue, according to the Circular issued.

The High Court has specified that the cases in question have already been disposed of, and it has urged lawyers and litigants to submit original documents or certified copies of documents where necessary. The Circular, dated 30.05.2024, outlines the procedure for payment and document submission, specifying different departments for criminal, civil, and other judicial matters.

The Circular issued on 30.05.2024, states, “All the concerned learned Advocates / Litigants are hereby informed / intimated to make payment of outstanding Court Fees and / or to submit the original documents / certified copies of the documents in the matters already decided / disposed of, which were filed during the Covid-19 Pandemic period i.e. from 22-03-2020 to 07-01-2022, wherein either Court Fees has not been paid or insufficient Court Fees has been paid and / or original documents / certified copies of the documents are not filed, between 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon on office working days, in BB Section for Criminal side matters, in Decree Department for Civil side matters and in OJ Department for OJ side matters, within a period of 30 days from the date of this Circular, failing which, the outstanding Court Fees shall be recovered as arrears of land revenue and if the original document(s) is/are not filed, within a period of 30 days, no certified copies of the said document(s) shall be issued.”

During the pandemic, the High Court, like other courts in the state, transitioned to virtual proceedings, with hearings conducted via video conferencing. Lawyers and litigants were allowed to file petitions through email, while hard copies were to be deposited in designated drop boxes at the court registry office.

Notably, the Gujarat High Court was among the first to introduce live streaming of court proceedings, even after the resumption of regular courtroom sessions. Presently, hearings before all benches of the High Court are live-streamed, ensuring transparency and accessibility in judicial proceedings.

Click Here To Read The Circular