Coronavirus: District court bar body asks lawyers to attend to only urgent matters

The coordination committee of all the district courts of Delhi passed a resolution on Monday, saying the lawyers practising at the trial courts of the national capital would abstain from work and attend to only urgent matters such as cases of bail in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

The lawyers would only attend to urgent work from March 16 till further information, the resolution passed by the Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Association said.

"All the district judges be requested to convey to the subordinate judges that there should not be any dismissal in default, no NBWs if accused fails to appear and no need of exemption application, otherwise lawyers will have to go to the courts," advocate Mahavir Sharma, who is the chairman of the committee, said.

"No evidence be recorded, regular matters be adjourned by the presiding officers from their chambers only, the limitation condonation applications be considered positively and temperature guns be provided at all entry gates of court buildings and all the court buildings be sanitised regularly," the resolution said.

According to committee secretary General Dhir Singh Kasana, district judges would hold meetings with the executive bodies of the respective bar associations every evening to take stock of the situation.

The resolution also urged the lawyers not to gather in groups inside court buildings and to cooperate for containing the spread of the virus.