SBC demands reopening of courts

Points out that hiatus had serious repercussions for lawyers, litigants

The Sindh Bar Council (SBC) has requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court and other senior judges to reopen courts for routine judicial proceedings, suggesting a number of precautionary measures to be adopted to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

In a letter dated July 23, SBC vice chairperson Syed Haider Imam Rizvi pointed out that in a previous letter in March, the lawyers' body had suggested proactive measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. He added that the adoption of these measures had seemingly allowed Pakistan to avoid the worst case scenario in the pandemic.

"It is too early to grow complacent (and the road ahead is long and uncertain) but the judicial system can now perhaps, like the rest of the country, start edging back towards normalcy," he wrote.

According to him, a consultative meeting of representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association, Karachi Bar Association and Malir Bar Association had unanimously resolved to request the reopening of courts with appropriate standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Rizvi argued that the closure of courts for all but urgent work had serious repercussions for both lawyers and litigants, adding that the judicial system was already struggling with delays.

He suggested the adoption of SOPs including the wearing of masks in court premises, the barring of entry of unnecessary persons, the use of sanitisers, fixing cases to avoid crowding and the introduction of e-courts.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2020.