Delhi HC judge holds proceedings standing, takes lawyers by surprise

Delhi High Court judge Justice Prathiba Maninder Singh on Thursday created a record of sorts when she conducted the court proceedings standing over the dais as she could not sit in her chair due to some pain.
The feat was hailed by the lawyers present in he court as “unprecedented.”
Defying the traditional concept of ‘sitting judges and standing counsel’, Justice Singh, who could have easily adjourned the proceedings for the day, conducted the proceedings despite being in so much pain, said advocate Abhishek Prasad who was present in the court.
Terming the standing posture as more comfortable, Justice Singh conducted the court for nearly two hours in the pre-lunch and post-lunch sessions.
As a matter of practice, the judges conduct the proceedings sitting in their chairs in the courtrooms with a computer system and case documents on their tables.
Justice Singh did hear some cases sitting but took on a standing posture around 12.30 PM and carried on standing till lunch.
Lawyers and others present in the courtroom were taken by surprise when she got up in the middle of the proceedings.
As the lawyers and litigants present in the court also stood up seeing the judge standing, Justice Singh asked them to remain seated and said, “It becomes very difficult to sit for the whole day. It is much better to stand and hear the cases.
During the post-lunch session also, she conducted some of the proceedings sitting but heard the rest of the matters while standing for nearly an hour. Justice Singh also used a slightly elevated computer desk to help her conduct the court while standing. It was speculated that she was in pain because of long-term sitting in the chair during court proceedings.