Covid-19: Allahabad HC, district courts to hear only urgent matters

As part of preventive measures against Covid-19, the Allahabad high court on Monday directed that the high court will take up only urgent matters till further orders

 As part of preventive measures against Covid-19, the Allahabad high court on Monday directed that the high court will take up only urgent matters till further orders and the district courts will do the same till March 21. Regular work in all other courts will remain suspended till March 21.

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The high court also asked the state government to establish a laboratory in Allahabad (now known as Prayagraj) for conducting pathological test of coronavirus.

At the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court, all judges, lawyers, clerks and court staff will vacate the court campus by 5pm in view of outbreak of coronavirus and the bench will hear only urgent matters.

Chief Justice of the Allahabad high court Justice Govind Mathur on Monday approved recommendations of the two committees constituted in Lucknow and Allahabad high courts to suggest preventive measures to check spread of coronavirus.

“The judges, lawyers, clerks and court staff will leave court campus by 5pm. This is part of 17 measures approved by the chief justice in view of outbreak of coronavirus,” said Manvendra Singh, senior registrar, Lucknow high court.

In a notification, the Allahabad high court has categorically stated that the lawyers having urgent cases alone may appear before the high court in order to avoid crowding.

While asking the lawyers to advise their clients not to visit the high court unless their presence is directed by the court or is unavoidable, the court has made it clear that no gate pass will be issued to the litigants and visitors by the Gate Pass Section.

Further, all the mediation proceedings shall remain suspended.

In addition, the advocates’ canteen as well as Bar Association meeting halls shall remain closed till further orders. However, their cleaning and sanitising shall be ensured on a daily basis.

Besides, the court has asked the chief medical officer to ensure that doctors are deployed at each entry point of the high court with adequate devices and, if anybody is found to have symptoms of Covid-19, he or she would not be permitted to enter the court campus.

The court has directed that if any employee feels symptoms of the virus, he would immediately intimate the high court and failure of it would entail disciplinary proceedings against the employee concerned.

The notification has further requested the judges to carry their personal belongings (spectacles, mobiles etc) themselves and not to hand over the same to their personal staff.

The high court further directed all the district judges of the state to undertake cleaning of the entire court campus and also ensure thermal scanning check up of all the persons entering in the court premises with the help of district magistrates and chief medical officers of the district concerned.

Registrar general, Allahabad high court, Ajay Kumar Srivastava, in a letter to all the district judges of the state, has informed that the committee of the high court has taken these decisions in order to prevent spread of coronavirus.

The high court has also asked the chief secretary of the state to issue directions to all the district magistrates (DMs) of the state to provide necessary help in terms of manpower and equipment to the district judges concerned.

Meanwhile, thermal scanning teams have been made active at gate numbers four, five and six of the Lucknow bench of the high court.

The Awadh Bar Association of the Lucknow high court convened an emergency meeting on Monday and requested lawyers to come to court only in unavoidable circumstances.