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Police bail, video links among JSC measures to deal with pandemic
The Judicial Service Commission has issued a directive that the provisions to release suspects on police bail should be implemented as much as possible and only the cases considered to be urgent by judges should be taken up till the 27th of this month.
These are some of the measures the JSC headed by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasooriya is seeking to implement to control the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.
The instructions were issued through a circular under the signature of JSC Secretary S.S. Somaratne. These directives also apply to labour tribunals.
As party of these measures, steps have been taken not to call cases at the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal until further notice. Cases scheduled for this week will be taken up on a future date.
The JSC has also recommended the adoption of video technology to extend the detention period of suspects. In Kalutara, Batticoloa, Bogambara, Galle, Kuruvita and other places, the prison authorities have begun to use video technology to extend the detention period of some 16,000 suspects.
These measures come amid concerns over the health and safety issues of prisoners. A growing number of people are serving jail terms or are on remand in overcrowded prisons as they could not complete their bail requirements.
A lawyers union has expressed fears of the coronavirus epidemic spreading fast among the inmates in overcrowded prisons and called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to look into the health risks they face.
It also has urged the President to provide some relief to prisoners as they are now facing difficulties in paying loans and lease instalments since court proceedings have come to a halt.