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Top Court has agreed to hear Supreme Court Advocates On Record Association’s (SCAORA) application seeking revival of order of the Supreme Court dated March 23, 2020 extending the statutory limitation period owing to the prevailing pandemic situation.

A bench of CJI NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant & Hima Kohli said that the order will be extended.

The application was filed in Suo Motu writ petition which the court initiated in 2020 during the early days of the pandemic.

The application states that the court had taken Suo Motu cognizance owing to the challenges faced by the country on account of Covid-19 and the difficulties that may be faced by litigants across the country in filing their cases within the period of limitation prescribed under the general law of limitation or under Special Laws (both Central and/or State).

The application further states that the Suo Motu proceedings were disposed by the Supreme Court on 8th March 2021however SCAORA moved an application on 15th April 2021 in the light of the second wave of the pandemic, the court on 27th April 2021 restored the order of 23rd March 2020.

The court had on 23rd September 2021 disposed off the application with detailed directions as normalcy was returning in the country. The application states that as of now there seems to be no end to this misery that is COVID-19 towards the human race, once again the nation is facing a threat in form of a new variant of the virus namely Omicron. The application seeks the court to restore the orders dated 23rd March 2020 and 27th April 2021extending the statutory limitation period owing to the rise in cases across the country.

Case title: IN RE: COGNIZANCE FOR EXTENSION OF LIMITATION