SC to hold physical presence starting today

Judicial proceedings of the Appellate and High Court divisions of the Supreme Court will continue in physical presence from today, March 6, following strict hygiene rules.

This information was given by Mohammad Saifur Rahman, the spokesperson of the Supreme Court last Thursday (March 3).

Judicial proceedings of the Appellate and High Court divisions of the Supreme Court have been conducted through virtual since January 19 due to the increase in coronavirus infection in the country. Prior to that, the High Court proceedings were conducted virtually for about a year and a half.

When the coronavirus infection started in the country, the normal activities of the court were stopped. At one stage, a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 7, 2020 gave final approval to the draft of 'Information Technology Use Ordinance-2020 by the Court'.

Two days later, President Md. Abdul Hamid issued an ordinance counting virtual presence as physical presence. Then on May 10 of that year, the Supreme Court issued a directive regarding the operation of virtual courts and opened the doors of virtual courts in the country by starting limited judicial activities from May 11. Through this, after 49 years of independence, the judiciary of the country entered the digital age at the hard time of COVID epidemic.

Judicial activities of the lower courts of the country, then the High Court and later the Chamber Courts and Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court continued through virtual. Later, court proceedings were conducted in virtual as well as physical presence. At one stage, when the coronavirus infection increased in the country, all the court activities started again through virtual.