New Delhi

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Wednesday said lawyers are free to appear virtually in the court in wake of the rising number of Covid cases.

CJI Chandrachud said newspaper reports show that Covid cases are on the rise and if a lawyer wants to appear virtually before the court they can and the hybrid mode is also on.

"We saw newspaper reports on rising Covid cases. Lawyers can use hybrid mode. If you choose to appear online, we will hear you," said the CJI.

The Supreme Court had reverted to the physical hearing mode of adjudication of cases from April 4, 2022, after taking into account the low infection rate and the number of Covid cases in Delhi and across the country.

The apex court has been successfully experimenting with the hybrid method - a combination of physical and virtual - of hearing for quite some time.

The Supreme Court has also started live-streaming the Constitution bench proceedings through the Supreme Court app and YouTube even after the resumption of physical hearings.

India on Wednesday recorded 4435 fresh Covid cases, with the active caseload at 23,091.

Covid cases in India have seen an upward trend in the past few days with the daily fresh infections ranging between 2,994 on April 1 to 3,824 on April 2 and 3,641 on April 3 before dropping marginally to 3038 on Tuesday.

Taking note of rising Covid cases in India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said the Omicron sub-variant, which is circulating in the country currently, has not led to an increase in hospitalisations and there was no need to worry.

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However, the minister said that there was a need to remain vigilant and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of the virus.