As a precautionary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Monday restricted both its Jammu and Srinagar benches to hearing only urgent matters and suspended the functioning of Lok Adalats and conducting legal services and mediation programs.
The high court also directed for setting up a dedicated team comprising a senior judicial officer and a senior administrative staff in each district court to take stock of the situation on a day-to-day basis and to take appropriate remedial steps.
According to the circular issued by the high court, the functioning in both its benches would be restricted to urgent matters from March 16 to 31.
The advocates, litigants and parties in person shall mention their matter(s) by providing number and stage of the matter(s) on daily board, showing the urgency before the concerned registrar judicial through e-mail by 3 pm of the previous day and upon satisfaction about the urgency, the court may hear such matter(s), the circular said.
In all other listed matters dates would be given by the bench secretaries and dates in all such matters would be communicated through e-courts platform, it said.
The circular also directed the bar associations and advocates to ensure that entry of litigants to courts are restricted to the cases where their presence is unavoidable and in such cases only one person may be called.
The bar associations of both benches of the high court would also ensure that there will be no crowding in the court complex including the lawyers' chambers, the circular said, adding they would also defer all their public functions involving gathering.
It also said the advocates would advise their clients not to visit courts unless their presence is directed by the court or is unavoidable.
Registrars (Judicial) of both benches of the high court would ensure sanitisation of the court premises and availability of sanitiser in court rooms and all other sections of the registry for the staff, and at some conspicuous places in the complexes for advocates and visitors, the circular said.
The high court also directed Health Department officials deployed in court premises to ensure thermal screening of court visitors before their entry to the high court premises.
While all official functions involving gathering would stand deferred and canteens and the bar rooms will not remain operational till further orders, the circular said.
In another circular, the high court directed sanitization of district and other subordinate court buildings and premises in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on daily basis.
Further, principal district judges shall ensure that sanitiser is available in their respective courts for visitors as well as the staff particularly those manning various counters like the filing counter, enquiries and front-offices, where there is constant public dealing.
Crowding in courts shall be avoided and thermal scanners (non-touch) be procured at the earliest and the same be put to use at the existing checkpoints of the court complexes, the circular reads.
In criminal matters, requests for exemption from personal appearance of accused be considered liberally, while special traffic magistrates would deal with only urgent matters pertaining to the release of seized vehicles and defer all other routine matters for the present, the circular adds.
It said unnecessary crowding in the lock up be curtailed and appropriate steps in this regard be taken by all the principal district and sessions judges in consultation with the prison authorities.
It also said that for recording of evidence, grant of remand to the accused or under trials, production of under trial prisoners, the facility of video conferencing be put to use as far as it is possible to do so.
In cases of absence of parties appearing in person or in cases of non-production of witnesses, passing of adverse orders shall be avoided, the circular reads.
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