 "Delhi High Court (Photo - PTI)")
New' New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTi) The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the AAP government to start at the earliest the online registration of legal documents, like wills, to minimise difficulties of public at large and minimise contact of officials with people during the prevalent COVID-19 pandemic. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan said several states have started online registration of documents and even the Delhi High Court has started e-filing of cases where a litigant can file a petition and even pay court fees from the comfort of his or her office or home. "You (Delhi government) can also do it. We expect the officials of respondent 1 (Delhi government) to initiate online registration of documents, We don't think it is impossible," the bench said. The Delhi government counsel told the bench that such a system was already in place. However, the advocate sought time to take instructions with regard to the features the Delhi government system has. The high court, thereafter, listed the matter for further hearing on September 23. The high court was hearing a plea, by advocate Gaurav Gambhir, claiming that sub-registrars in the national capital are refusing to register 'wills' and other documents of senior citizens, persons with co-morbidities and pregnant women by citing risk of COVID infection. During the hearing via video conference, senior advocate Mohit Mathur, representing Gambhir, told the bench that the Delhi government's system only provides for taking appointments to visit the sub-registrar's office and on going there the people are verbally told that registrations cannot be done. He told the court that the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Haryana have started online registration of legal documents without having to go to the sub-registrar's office. Gambhir, in his petition, has soughtabolishing of "the archaic procedures and to adopt suitable mechanisms for registration of documents through digital or other means to avoid contamination as a preparedness to COVID-19 like situations". He has contended that senior citizens and others vulnerable to COVID-19 "are being unlawfully deprived and prevented from getting their testamentary and non-testamentary documents registered in the office of the Sub-Registrars in New Delhi on account of misinterpretation of lockdown guidelines".
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
