High Courts and Magistrate’s Courts to function on April 2 and 3

Judicial Service Commission has decided to function High Courts and Magistrate’s Courts to hear bail applications on April 02 and 03.

The JSC has notified that parties should not be entertained in courts, however their lawyers and state counsel can appear following government guidelines on social distancing.  

Attorney General Dappula de Livera on Wednesday requested the Chief Justice to consider the cancellation of proceedings in the High Court fixed for the next two curfew days – 2nd and 3rd of April.

This request was made taking into account the seriousness of the local COVID-19 outbreak, the Coordinating Officer of the Attorney General said.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice, the Attorney General had stated that it is “most undesirable” to expose officials of the court, lawyers and state counsels, police officers and judges to appear in court proceedings which are scheduled to take place to consider High Courts applications despite the government’s health warnings and repeated medical advice on social distancing.

Lawyers have filed motions for taking up more than 100 bail applications, which mostly pertain to serious drug cases, falling outside the decision of the committee appointed by the President, the letter read.

The Attorney General had accordingly urged the Chief Justice to consider cancelling the sittings of the Colombo High Court and other High Courts scheduled for April 2 & 3 and reschedule the proceedings when “the environment is conducive.”