Staff Reporter :
The leaders of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Wednesday appealed to the Chief Justice to resume the regular court activities immediately after ensuring the health protection for the judges, lawyers, justice seekers and other concerned persons.
In a proposal, they also requested the Chief Justice to cancel the annual leave of the Supreme Court from the calendar year 2020 and general leave in December of all the courts across the country in order to make
up the loss which happened due to coronavirus outbreak.
The executive committee of the SCBA made the appeal to the Chief Justice in a written format through Md Ali Akbar, Registrar General of the Supreme Court and Md Saifur Rahman, spokesperson of the Supreme Court, said Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal, SCBA Secretary.
The executive committee held an emergency meeting in the office room of the SCAB president and planned the proposals. In the meeting, all the members of the committee were present.
Later the committee held a press briefing in the SCBA auditorium in this regard. SCBA secretary read out the proposals which they had sent earlier to the Chief Justice.
The proposals said, “As long as it is not possible to resume the regular court activities, it is important to ensure that all lawyers are able to conduct their cases in the virtual courts. So the number and scope of virtual courts and trial time of the courts should be extended.”
Interim bail hearing has to be started in the virtual courts to ensure the justice for the justice seekers, also included the proposals.
Meanwhile, former President of the SCBA advocate Zainul Abedin on Wednesday urged Chief Justice to immediately resume the regular functions of courts across the country for the interest of lawyers and litigants.
“If the regular court activities are not resumed, lawyers may have to leave their profession,” he told in a separate press briefing on the SCBA premises.
Advocate Zainul Abedin said that three percent of lawyers can be involved in the ongoing virtual court functions and five percent litigants only are getting its benefits while others are being deprived of the facilities.
A repercussion has been created among most of the lawyers as they cannot practice law in the regular courts, he said. Advocate Zainul Abedin requested the Chief Justice to take necessary steps to resume the regular court functions strictly with respect to the health guidelines.
