AG’s Dept. back at work today after COVID-19 scare, work of SC and CA remains limited

• Health Ministry gives go-ahead for AG’s Dept. to open a week after security officer found infected with COVID-19
• 6 others who were in close contact with her found to be negative
• SC and CA to open today after Court vacation but will limit work due being in high risk areas 

The Health Ministry has given permission to the Attorney General’s Department to resume work from today, a week after its premises was declared out of bounds after one of its security officers was confirmed with COVID-19.

The clearance to open the department came after six other members of the private security service who were exposed to the infected person were tested for COVID-19 and their test results were found to be negative.

The department was declared out of bounds on Monday following the detection of the COVID-19 patient and it was disinfected by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).

Meanwhile the second term of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal which are scheduled to commence from today may not take place as the area around the Court complex in Colombo 12 remains a high-risk area.

The SC announced that applications to hear a case on the basis of urgency would be considered on merits and the circumstances and if satisfied on the availability of such circumstances, the Court would use its discretion and make an appropriate order in that regard, the notice said.

The Court of Appeal also said that urgent applications would be entertained despite the lockdown if the petitioners satisfy Court that grounds of urgency necessitated them.

The CA said that the Registrar had to be contacted to urge the grounds of urgency and request a hearing and noted that the Court had introduced electronic submissions of motions and petitions during the COVID-19 outbreak period and bail applications submitted this way were taken up by Court recently.

The notice added that due to social distancing policies set up by the State, hearings per day would be staggered into separate sessions during which only lawyers appearing for cases listed in the sessions would be accommodated.

The presence of litigants are discouraged and if at all litigants were to be admitted into Court, the notice provides prior permission of Court in line with the Court’s discretion must be obtained.

If normalcy has returned to the vicinity of courts, the registry of both the SC and the CA will be kept open between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily for acceptance of new filings.

In the event the office remains closed owing to a lockdown, urgent filings would still be entertained provided the litigants or Attorneys-at-Law request a scheduling of the opening of the office to accept urgent matters from the Registrar.

The notices of both the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal pertaining to the commencement of sittings have been posted on the websites of the two Superior Courts.