Andhra HC extends all interim orders till June 30 amid COVID-19 surge

All interim orders passed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court and other subordinate courts and tribunals in the state have been extended till June 30, 2021 owing to the surge in COVID-19 cases. The Andhra Pradesh High Court’s latest order comes amid rising COVID-19 cases among advocates and their staff members.

A Division Bench comprising of Chief Justice AK Goswami and Justice CP Kumar on Thursday ordered, “Having regard to the prevailing situation, it is directed that in all matters wherein interim orders passed by this Court and Courts/Tribunals, which are subordinate to the High Court, are subsisting as on April 21, 2021, such interim orders shall unconditionally be extended till June 30, 2021, unless specifically dealt with by any judicial order to the contrary (sic)."

The court has also clarified that all parties affected by the continuation of the interim orders have the liberty to apply for vacating such stay orders. Due notice to the parties involved will have to be sent ahead of time by the affected party, Live Law reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, a petition was filed with the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking to postpone the Andhra Pradesh board exams for Class 10 and 12 due to rising COVID-19 cases. The petition was filed by pastor and politician KA Paul, who stated that students were at risk of falling prey to the coronavirus and that holding the exams could lead to a surge.

“The cumulative effect of the exam being conducted would be that 12 lakh students would be exposed to this virus. Their family members and extended family members, the teachers, the school staff, the people engaged in transportation, and the multiplications of this would naturally cause a surge in COVID-19 comparable, if not higher, than Kumbh Mela or elections. The best recourse at this stage can be to wait for some more time, let the COVID-19 crisis subside and then only conduct these exams, in order to save the lives of the students and their parents (sic),” the petition stated.

The petition was filed through advocate Sriram Parakkat, Deepak K Singh and MD Vishnu Shankar. The petitioner also argued that several students who had contracted COVID-19 will be unable to attend the exams, Bar and Bench reported.