Supreme Court employee tests positive for Coronavirus; kin & 2 registrars quarantined

A Supreme Court staffer on Monday evening tested positive for deadly coronavirus. The employee, working with the judicial section of the apex court, was on duty on April 16 and had come in contact with two apex court registrars, who have been advised self-quarantine as a precautionary measure, a source told news agency PTI.

As per reports, he suffered fever for two days after coming for work on April 16 and tested positive for COVID-19 after results arrived on Monday. He has been admitted to a government hospital and is undergoing treatment, the source said. He also added that as per the standard protocol, contact tracing of the staffer will be done.

It is the first such case of a Supreme Court staffer testing positive.

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'Only urgent cases'

The apex court had restricted its functioning since March 23 and is hearing matters involving extreme urgency through video conferencing. In a circular issued on Saturday, the apex court had stated that only urgent matters that required short hearings and death penalty cases will be taken up from Monday, April 20 onwards. The SC had earlier issued fresh guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOP) to be adopted by advocates and litigants during hearing of matters of "extreme urgency".

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The circular added: "Take notice that short category matters, death penalty matters and matters related to family law, which are ready, maybe listed for hearing through video conferencing mode subject to availability of the concerned bench and prior approval of Hon’ble The Chief Justice of India."

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