SHCBA asks lawyers to avoid courts, wants no adverse orders for two days

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the province, the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) has strongly advised its members to avoid attending court proceedings on March 18 and 19 as a precautionary measure, saying that they will be at great risk of catching or spreading the disease if they come to the courtrooms.

The advice came following the postponement of the Sindh High Court’s administrative committee meeting till March 19 with regard to taking early court vacations in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak so as to wait for the outcome of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee meeting called by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed to discuss the issue at length and devise an effective strategy for the courts.

SHCBA secretary Haseeb Jamali sent a letter to the chief justice of the SHC, requesting him to adopt a general policy that no adverse orders would be passed in any of the cases fixed in the courts on March 19 and 18.

He submitted that there was serious uneasiness among the legal fraternity as the court work across the province was continuing normally and the measures adopted were not sufficient to stop the spread of coronavirus. He said that despite threat of the infection, the lawyers, litigants and court staff were being forced to attend the courts daily due to the fixing of cases in normal course, which was exposing all of them to either be infected by the virus or be a source of its spread.

Jamali was of the view that medical resources were starched to the limit, and it was the bar’s understanding that if urgent effective methods were not immediately adopted by the courts, then the situation may lead to an unimaginable disaster.

SHC orders screening

SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh has directed the inspector general of prisons to conduct proper screening/tests of coronavirus on suspects who were sent to prisons on judicial remand by the judicial magistrates, and to let no suspect be admitted to prisons without proper screening/test.

He also directed the high court employees not to attend duty and immediately send intimation to the office if any family member was infected by the coronavirus, so that necessary measures for their treatment could be taken.

The chief justice of the high court also directed the budget branch to arrange sanitiser, masks and gloves for the employees of the court.

12 arrested

The Saddar Police on Tuesday arrested three people for allegedly selling sanitizers at higher prices, adds our correspondent.

According to SHO Arshad Afridi, Sameer, son of Nadeem, Faisal Siddiq, son of Muhammad Siddiqui, and Anwarullah, son of Sherullah were apprehended and FIR No. 149/20, 150/20 and 151/20 under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code were registered against them, respectively.

The Rizvia police arrested nine people for setting up a bazaar in Gulbahar. According to the police, an FIR No 122/20 under Section 188 of the PPC was registered for violating the government’s orders. Law enforcement agencies continue the crackdown against the violators and police have so far registered 26 cases in the last 24 hours across the province.