PHC accelerates bail plea hearings amid pandemic

Provincial top court disposes of 126 cases in one week

PESHAWAR: Balancing public safety concerns amidst the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the high court has expedited hearing of cases and has taken measures to cope with the pandemic.

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) in a statement on Monday said that as many as 126 cases had been disposed of in a single week while district judges across the province visited different jails, releasing some 222 prisoners.

The statement added that the spread of Covid-19 is a significant public health concern and that the PHC has taken initiatives to cope with the pandemic.

Bail petitions of prisoners are being heard on priority, it read.



During the past week, administrative judges prisons visited jails in Mardan, Peshawar, Swabi, and Nowshera and overall 33 prisoners were released on the spot.

The statement said judges during their visit took serious notice of the congestion of prisoners in the Nowshera district jail and Swabi district jail and issued the directions to authorities to take all necessary steps in this regard. They also inspected the hygiene conditions of the jails and the directions were issued for cleanliness, segregation of new inmates, the statement said.

The statement further read that PHC in a letter on February 29 had directed for precautions against coronavirus. The biometric attendance of the staff was immediately stopped. Besides they were directed to ensure strict and regular cleanliness of the court premises. It was also advised that any official showing symptoms of the disease must be taken to the hospital immediately.

To avoid attendance of under trial prisoners, the PHC on March 17 had issued directives to all the district and sessions judges that a magistrate may be deputed for daily jail visit in connection with the matters falling under section 344 CrPC 1898.

On the administrative side, the statement said that a cell headed by the PHC registrar has been established to monitor the situation. The cell convened the zoom conference meeting with all the district and sessions judges on March 20 to sensitise judges on the precautions of Covid-19 pandemic.



The district judges were directed to ensure screening visitors in the court premises regularly by procuring thermal guns and to establish quarantine centres in collaboration with the district administration. Regarding the disposal of day to day judicial business of the courts, the judges were directed to avoid dismissal of cases in default. The district judges were also directed to provide sanitisers, masks, gloves to judicial officers as well as to ministerial staff of the courts.

The PHC statement added that officers and staff of the provincial top court have been provided sanitisers, masks, gloves while a quarantine centre has also been established. Regular screening of visitors is carried out through thermal guns to gauge their temperatures. All the employees of the PHC have been directed to adopt safe work, it added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2020.