KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has delisted all the cases except for bail matters from Tuesday till further orders in a bid to contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus (Covid-19).

The civil work at the subordinate judiciary of the province will also remain suspended from March 24 apart from urgent matters and bail applications.

According to a circular issued by the SHC registrar, in order to prevent harm from coronavirus, which is contagious and rapidly spreading, the chief justice has issued directives that all the cases fixed before any bench of the SHC at the principal seat Karachi, Sukkur bench and circuit courts at Hyderabad and Larkana will stand discharged and delisted from March 24 till further orders except for bail matters.

“All the civil business of the Sindh High Court shall remain close from 24th March 2020 till further orders. However, the bench available may on urgent application entertain a case as per rules,” it added.

The circular also said that the criminal cases of urgent nature would be heard by the SHC benches on appropriate applications, adding that the civil work in district judiciary of the entire province would remain suspended except for urgent matters and bail maters from Tuesday till further orders.

Employees of the SHC, who were above the age of 50 years, would be available at their residences for any urgent assignment while all the female employees of the SHC, apart from telephone operators, were not required to attend duty from March 24 and the registrar would make appropriate arrangements on rotation basis for the remaining staff members of the SHC, it added.

It also stated that all the employees of district judiciary as well as federal and provincial tribunals and special courts working under the administrative control of SHC, who were over 50, would work from their homes from Tuesday while the female staff of the district judiciary and special courts would not come to work from March 24 till further orders.

The district and sessions judges, chairmen of the tribunals and presiding officers would regulate their remaining staff on rotation basis, it concluded.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2020