COVID-19: NCDRC Restricts Functioning To Hear Urgent Cases Only; All Other Cases Adjourned Till April 15 [Read Circular]

Vide a circular issued on Monday, i.e. March 16, pursuant to a meeting between the Commission's President and all the members, it has been clarified that the Commission will take up only those matters in which urgent hearing is required.

The following matters will be treated as the matters requiring urgent hearing:

1. Matters in which immediate stay of execution proceedings/ any order in sought, and such an order cannot be deferred till the next date of hearing;
2. Matters in which stay of arrest warrants/ recovery certificate/ sentence passed by a Consumer Forum is sought
3. Any other matter which, in the opinion of the Listing Officer requires urgent hearing

As per the circular, matters in which most urgent hearing is sought will be mentioned before the Listing Officer Mr. lqbal Ahmed, Deputy Registrar in Registrar's Court on the 4^th Floor and will require his approval for such listing. If an Advocate or a party in person is not satisfied with the decision of the Listing Officer, he will be entitled to mention the matter before the concerned Bench for urgent listing.

Inter alia, it has been instructed:

• The office of the Commission will remain open on every working day during prescribed hours and the filing of the fresh matters will continue as usual. New matters, however, will not be listed for hearing till April 15, unless an urgent hearing is allowed.
• Only the Advocate who has to argue the most urgent matter, accompanied by only one party, will be allowed to enter the Court Rooms. Further, they shall ensure that no material filed or brought by them is contaminated in any manner.
• A person moving an application for urgent hearing will ensure that the application is accompanied by an affidavit of the applicant.
• The next dates of hearing in the matters listed till April 15 have been notified on the website of the Commission and they shall also be displayed on the Notice Board outside the premises of the Commission.

Read Circular