LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has decided to hear urgent nature cases only from next working day (March 24) till further decision as a precautionary measure to avoid spread of coronavirus pandemic.

The Administration Committee headed by Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan took the decision in the light of the prevailing situation due to the novel virus.

The committee resolved that the judges at the principal seat and all regional benches would hear urgent cases including post-arrest bail, habeas and detention or any other matter of genuine urgency with the orders of the chief justice.

Chief Justice Khan also constituted a crisis management committee to liaison with authorities concerned to devise mechanism to safeguard general public, litigants, lawyers etc from spread of the virus in the high court and district judiciary of Punjab and to ensure implementation of directions issued by the National Judicial Policy Making Committee.

Senior puisne judge, Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, has been nominated as focal person of the committee while its members are Justice Atir Mahmood, Justice Asjad Javed Ghural and district & sessions judge Lahore.

The crisis management committee will hold its first meeting on March 24 under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Khan with the attendance of provincial chief secretary and other government authorities.

Meanwhile, LHC spokesman Arif Dar denied some media reports and maintained that no employee of the court had been tested positive for coronavirus. He said there was a staff member who himself went to a laboratory with complaint of flu. However, he said, the report was negative.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2020