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Karnataka District Courts to resume normal functioning
District Courts across the state of Karnataka will resume physical hearings and regular functioning on an experimental basis from the 18th of January 2021, the High court of Karnataka arrived at the consequent decision to revert the mode of functioning of the District Judiciary after taking into consideration the substantial improvement in the number of COVID 19 cases within the state.
The Standard Operating Procedure issued by the High Court holds that regular functioning of courts will take place in all districts besides those where there exists greater than 200 active COVID 19 cases, these districts include Shivamogga, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Mysuru, DK Mangaluru, Tumakuru, and Bengaluru Urban. The District Courts of the State are actively pursuing a hybrid system of physical and virtual trials, because of the latest ruling, physical functioning will restart in all districts with the exception of those seven where the number of active COVID 19 cases are over 200.
In accordance with the new Standard Operating Procedure that has been issued, the physical functioning of courts invokes the following precautionary conditions:
Any person entering the courthouse shall be subject to thermal scanning and monitoring of COVID 19 symptoms, those with signs of COVID-19 shall not be permitted to access the court complex.
Implementation of separate entrances, one for lawyers and staff members and another for witnesses, litigants and other visitors of the court.
Wearing of masks is compulsory within the court complex and usage of lifts and elevators to be limited to only fifty percent capacity.
Lawyers, petitioners, witnesses, law enforcement officers, etc., shall maintain social distancing.
The updated SOP further notes that it is the duty of lawyers to check that the petitioners should not needlessly visit the court premises and that Members of the Bar should make sure that their clients enter the court only if their appearance is necessary.
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