High Court to resume virtual proceedings: matters lined up include Pondy local body elections

The court was on vacation from October 9 in connection with the 10-day Dussehra celebration. As Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee left for his native on October 7, the senior-most judge, Justice TS Sivagnanam, had administered the oath of office to Justice Paresh Ravishanker Upadhayay who was transferred from the Gujarat High Court.

A division bench of Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Sathi Kumar Sukumara Kurup had heard the main cases for the next couple of days. Later, the Union government transferred Justice TS Sivagnanam to the Calcutta High Court.

After the break started, a special vacation bench comprising Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Abdul Quddhose was taking up important cases for urgent hearing. The bench had heard a petition by Puducherry Leader of Opposition R Siva alleging that the Puducherry Election Commission did not follow the norms on reservation for BCs and STs, and halted the local body elections there. 

After the bench referred the matter to a higher bench, it would be heard by the first bench of the High Court on October 21.

On the first day of hearing after vacation, the Centre is expected to file its counter as per the direction of the division bench comprising Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Sathi Kumar Sukumar Kurup, which had asked the Centre to file its counter regarding the action taken to ensure the universal accessibility arrangements for physically challenged persons.