Staff Reporter :
A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking its directives upon the concerned bodies of the government to close all the educational institutions for 30 days, since the number of Covid-19 cases is increasing alarmingly in recent days. Md Eunus Ali Akond, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed the writ petition on Wednesday as a public interest litigation.
Health Secretary, Education Secretary and
some others have been made respondents in the petition.
The petition may be heard in the High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice S M Maniruzzaman, said the lawyer.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to hear all the cases only in virtual process since Wednesday due to the alarming rise of Covid-19 cases in recent days.
Two separate notifications have been issued on Tuesday in this regard by the Supreme Court Registrar General Md Ali Akbar.
All the Appellate Division and High Court division benches conducted judicial activities only through virtual process since January 19, read the notifications.
Earlier on the day, Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique said the court functions might be conducted through virtual system again due to the ongoing spike of Covid-19 infection.
Several judges and staff members of the Supreme Court and lower courts have been infected with Covid-19 and therefore, the court functions might be run virtually, he said.
The chief justice said this while presiding over a full bench of the Appellate Division of the SC for hearing and disposing of cases in the morning. Deputy Attorney General Bishwajit Debnath told the apex court that some law officers including Attorney General AM Amin Uddin have been diagnosed with Covid-19.
Amid fears of the spread of the omicron, a highly contagious Covid-19 variant, the government on January 10 this year announced a set of new pandemic restrictions, including a vaccine-certificate requirement for dining in restaurants.
The Cabinet Division issued a notification in this regard which came into effect from January 13 and will remain in force until further notice.
The notification banned all open-air gatherings, including social, political and religious events. It also ordered buses and trains to operate at 50 pc capacity. People must also show vaccine certificates to stay in hotels in line with the new rules.
The government will deploy mobile courts nationwide to enforce mandatory mask rules and other health protocols at public places. Unvaccinated students above 12 years will not be allowed to join in-person classes or exams.
