Virtual court to continue if coronavirus outbreak intensifies: law minister

Law Minister Anisul Huq said court functions will continue virtually if the coronavirus outbreak intensifies.

Regular activities of the courts will resume when the situation improves, he said.

The law minister was speaking as chief guest yesterday at a virtual function organised to inaugurate an online training for the lawyers on "competence development to use virtual court system".

The law ministry arranged the training programme in technical association of GIZ Bangladesh, a private development organisation of Germany, where more than 200 lawyers from Brahmanbaria and Narsingdi participated.

The minister told the function that the virtual court system will be used in case of any special situation and necessity.

"We don't know when the coronavirus situation will improve. The ongoing virtual court functions will continue in order to ensure independent and fair dispensation of justice," he said.

He said more than 50,000 people accused of criminal cases have already been granted bail from the virtual courts across the country.

Besides, the chief justice has directed the courts of chief judicial magistrates and chief metropolitan magistrates to allow the accused people to surrender before them strictly following the health guidelines in order to seek bail in the cases against them.

District judges of Brahmanbaria and Narsingdi Md Shafiul Azam and Mostaque Ahmed respectively attended the function as well.