11 district courts closed over Covid-19 fears

Lawyers lament lack of stringent enforcement of SOPs

ISLAMABAD:

With a second wave of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) spreading in the city, the judicial department has decided to shut down some 11 district courts in the city for two weeks.

The decision to shut down the district courts was taken after some court staff tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Moreover, a week after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had decided to restore biometric verifications for filing petitions, it has decided to suspend the practice again after a surge Covid-19 cases.

As per a circular issued by the IHC registrar on Thursday, the biometric verification system will remain suspended until further orders.

Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) President Malik Zafar Khokar and Secretary Nabeel Tahir Mirza lamented that court staff failed to strictly implement the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) despite persistent reminders.

The IHCBA officials further said that many lawyers have also tested positive for the virus and urged them and litigants to implement SOPs to avoid contracting the virus.

The courts closed were led by additional sessions judges (ADJ) including ADJ Adnan Khan and ADJ Abdul Ghafoor Kakar and Senior Civil Judge Muhammad Amir Aziz, Civil Judges Muhammad Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Sohaib Bilal Ranjha, Raja Farrukh Ali Khan, Rana Mujahid Rahim, Malik Aman, Malik Imran, and Ayesha Shabbir.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2020.