Coronavirus: WB bar council members not to take part in

The Bar Council of West Bengal on Monday resolved that its members will abstain from taking part in any judicial proceedings till March 21 as a preventive measure against coronavirus, an official said here.

The decision came a day after the Calcutta High Court administration said only urgent matters would be heard by all courts in the state this week in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

State Bar Council chairman Ashok Deb said the step is being taken as a preventive and precautionary measure to stop the spread of COVID-19 among advocates, litigants and the public at large.

It will be applicable to the courts in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including the Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court there, he said.

The Bar Council said it took the resolution not to participate in court proceedings till March 21 after taking into consideration a notification by the registrar general of the high court, which was issued on March 15.

The notification said the Calcutta High Court and all subordinate courts in West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar will hear only urgent matters from Tuesday to avoid mass gatherings in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

Calcutta HC registrar general Rai Chattopadhyay said in the notification that no adverse orders will be passed on matters where parties are found absent till the situation persists.

"From Tuesday (March 17), the cause list will be published for only those matters which are urgent in nature and mentioned before the respective benches for listing," the notification said.

Instead of physically producing undertrial prisoners from jails, a video conference facility should be availed, the notification said.

The presence of staff in all courts in the state shall be reduced by at least half and the office shall ensure that the staff work on rotation, the registrar general said.

The situation will be reviewed on March 20, Chattopadhyay added.