SHC discharges all cases except bail matters

Except for the bail matters, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has discharged all cases fixed before benches at its principal seat in Karachi and all the circuit benches in Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

As a precautionary measure during the rising COVID-19 cases, SHC Chief Justice (CJ) Ahmed Ali M Sheikh ordered on Monday that except for the bail matters, all the date by court cases fixed before any bench of the SHC shall stand delisted from March 24 onwards till further orders.

The SHC ordered that all civil business of the SHC shall remain closed from March 24 till further orders, however, on urgent applications, an available bench may entertain cases as per the rules.

All employees of the SHC who are above 50 years shall be available at their residences for any urgent assignment. The SHC CJ ordered that all lady employees of the SHC except the telephone operators were not required to come to the court from March 24 onwards till further orders.

He, however, said criminal cases of urgent nature could be heard by a bench on an appropriate application The SHC CJ ordered that the entire civil work in the district judiciary of the province shall stand suspended except for urgent matters and bail matters starting March 24.

The high court also ordered that all the employees above 50 years of the district judiciary as well as the federal and provincial tribunals, including anti-corruption courts, accountability courts, anti-terrorism courts working under the administrative control of the SHC, would be available at their residences.

The female employees of the district judiciary were also ordered not to come to work till further orders. The district judges and heads of tribunals and courts were directed to regulate their staff, who were not covered in the orders of the SHC, on a rotation basis.