Prayagraj, Jan 3 (IANS): As Covid cases record an alarming rise in Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court has decided to function in virtual mode, both at Prayagraj and Lucknow, from Monday.

A meeting of the Administrative Committee of the Allahabad High Court was held on Sunday under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, in which it was decided that hearings will be held only in online mode from January 3 due to rising Covid-19 cases.

The Advocates' Association of Allahabad High Court has issued a press release informing that its president Pradeep Kumar and secretary Harikesh Singh also participated in the meeting in representative capacity.

After the meeting, both requested the advocates to make necessary preparations for virtual hearing of cases from January 3 onwards. "There would be no adverse order at least for a period of one week," they added.

Similarly, Amrendra Nath Tripathi, the general secretary of Oudh Bar Association, Lucknow, informed that he and Oudh Bar Association president Rakesh Chaudhary participated in the meeting of the administrative committee, in which the issue of rising cases of Covid-19 was discussed.

The committee found that several cases are being detected in Lucknow daily, which call for shifting to virtual hearing and stopping of offline hearing.