Staff Reporter :
Supreme Court has asked all lower courts concerned across the country to hear and dispose of urgent civil and succession cases.
Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain took the decision after discussions with the senior judges of the SC, said a notification issued on Saturday by Md Ali Akbar, Registrar General of the Supreme Court.
The notification imposed conditions saying that the courts will receive the cases maintaining physical distancing and strictly following health guidelines.
The judges of the courts will fix necessary action plans for maintaining physical distancing in the courtrooms during the hearing of the urgent civil matters and the filings of the succession suits respectively in order to contain the coronavirus infection, according to the notification.
The judges will receive urgent matters and filings of succession suits in such way so that mass gatherings cannot be taken place at the concerned courts during the proceedings.
On completion of one suit, the court will hear and receive filing of another suit. Moreover, the conducting judges will fix a specific time to hear and dispose of the succession suits, maintaining a physical distancing and strictly following health guidelines.
The circular also said, highest six people, including lawyers and plaintiffs, can stay at a courtroom during hearing of a suit wearing face masks. They have to maintain minimum six feet distance at that time.
On July 12, the Chief Justice asked all the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunals, Chief Judicial Magistrates and Chief Metropolitan Magistrates across the country to receive filings of complaint suits.
The same day, the SC issued another circular which empowered the lower courts across the country to receive surrender petitions seeking bails of people accused of criminal cases filed against them.
Earlier, the lower courts could hear and dispose of only bail petitions filed by the detained accused through video conferencing.
The regular activities of courts remained closed since March 26 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
