B S Ramesh/The Hindu
- Court will now sit an extra 15 minutes
- BMTC buses allowed to operate from the court premises
- Closing hours of the court halls will be 4.45 p.m.
Bangalore, Oct 14: History was made in the State judiciary on Monday when the Karnataka High Court extended the sitting timings of the Principal Bench of the Karnataka High Court in Bangalore and the two Circuit Benches at Dharwad and Gulbarga.
There is no change in the timing of the morning court hours, with the hearings being held from 10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.
The lunch break between 1.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. is retained. The court, instead of sitting till 4.30 p.m., will everyday be sitting an extra 15 minutes.
This means that the closing hours of the court halls in the High Court will be 4.45 p.m., instead of 4.30 p.m. The decision to extend the sitting hours was taken at a Full Court meeting held recently.
BMTC service
Apart from this decision, the High Court resolved to permit Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses to ply from within its compound to different parts of the city.
Called the High Court specials, these buses are mainly meant to ferry High Court staff, advocates, law clerks and litigants.
The buses will start at 5.20 p.m., and the last bus will leave the High Court premises at 7.20 p.m.
The BMTC commenced the city services on Monday after Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court P.D. Dinakaran spoke to the BMTC Managing Director and ensured that the corporation ran exclusive bus services for the benefit of the High Court staff and advocates.
The decision to permit the BMTC buses to ply from the High Court premises comes soon after the High Court decided to extend the working hours of its offices (branches).
These branches used to close down by 5 p.m. But they have now been asked to work till 6 p.m.
According to a BMTC time-table, buses will leave the High Court in three batches. Buses will leave at 5.20 p.m. to J.P. Nagar 3rd Phase (3 F/1), Padmanabanagar (12 C/J), Thyagarajanagar (38/1), Kamalanagar (96/7), Peenya 2nd Stage (252-A/4), Kalyanagar (296-C/1), Judicial Layout (284-C/1), Koramangala (171-C/1), Vijayanagar (61/2), Nandini Layout (155/2) and Srinagar (245-C/1).
Buses that leave the High Court at 6 p.m., are: PHS 25 to J.P. Nagar 6th Phase, HAL Main Gate (147/1), Peenya 2nd Stage (252-F/4), Janapriya township (245-N/1), Judicial Layout (284-D/2), Sultanpalya (114-A/3), Kengeri Satellite Town (248/3), BEML 5th Stage (225-C/1), Uttarahalli (210-N/1) and Begur (362-C/6).
At 7 p.m., buses will operate to Uttarahalli (210-W/2), J.P. Nagar 6th Phase (38/1), HAL Main Gate (138/7), Peenya 2nd Stage (252-A/8), Judicial Layout (402-B/3), Kengeri Satellite Town (222-A/3), Sultanpalya (114-C/6), Begur (171-C/1), BEML 5th Stage (239-A/1) and Janapriya Township (Kadabagere-242-S/1).