Jaipur, July 31 — In a rare administrative arrangement, all 39 judges of the Rajasthan High Court from both the Principal Seat at Jodhpur and the Jaipur Bench will hear cases from Jaipur on Friday.
For the day's proceedings, the High Court has constituted four larger benches, six division benches, and fifteen single benches. Cases pertaining to the Jodhpur Principal Seat will be heard through video conferencing (VC).
The special arrangement has been made as all judges will remain in Jaipur for the next three days to participate in an international conference on peace, mediation, and the rule of law, commencing on Friday evening. Hosted by the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority, the conference will bring together several luminaries including judges, senior advocates, mediators, scholars, and policymakers from Commonwealth countries.
Under the roster, one larger bench, three division benches, and four single benches will hear matters relating to the Jodhpur Principal Seat through video conferencing.
For cases filed before the Jaipur Bench, three larger benches, three division benches, and eleven single benches have been constituted. The arrangement is expected to ensure that judicial work continues uninterrupted despite all judges being stationed in Jaipur.
The larger benches are scheduled to hear several significant legal issues, including whether cases involving senior citizens, women, children, and persons with disabilities should be accorded priority in hearing, petitions pending since 1989, filed by Acharya Dharmendra and others, concerning the installation of a statue of Manu within the Jaipur Bench premises of the Rajasthan High Court, legal issues relating to the eligibility of convicts serving sentences in cases under the POCSO Act and for the rape of minors for transfer to open prisons.
Several of these matters involve substantial questions of law, and the decisions of the larger benches are expected to provide authoritative interpretations that may guide the adjudication of similar cases in the future.
The special sitting assumes significance from both judicial and administrative perspectives, as it enables the High Court to continue regular proceedings while all judges attend the three-day international conference in Jaipur.