Court comes up with SOP to attend court hearings

PUTRAJAYA (May 11) : Come May 13, those who attend court proceedings nationwide would be required to fill in forms, have their body temperature taken, wear face masks, and practice social distancing in open court seatings at designated places before being allowed in.

Those who have temperatures of 38 and below would be allowed into court premises and only one family member is allowed to attend open-court proceedings to those facing criminal trials.

These are some of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) underlined by the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court's office today in line with the announcement by the Chief Justice Tan Sri Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat last May 3, of coming up with SOP in attending court proceedings throughout the country starting this Wednesday.

The guidelines include: -

● All persons are required to check their case status prior to coming to Court. Parties are encouraged to file documents through e-filing at courts which have the e-filing service.

● All persons who attend court are required to download and complete the Court Visitor Form from the Judiciary’s Official Website for social tracing purposes. The Visitor Forms are also available at the Court premises.

● Each and every court throughout Malaysia will only have one (1) point of entry into their respective premises.

● Only those who have business with the court will be allowed to enter the premises. In criminal cases, only one (1) family member will be allowed to enter the court premises.

● Only one client per party is allowed to be in the court building during the hearing of their case.

● It is mandatory to wear a face mask at all times within the court premises. The court will not provide face masks to persons attending court.

● The body temperature of each individual seeking to enter the courts will be taken and only those individuals with a body temperature of 38 degrees Celsius and below will be allowed to enter. Parties and the public are advised not to attend court if they are unwell.

● All persons are required to conduct business at the designated counter or court without delay.

● Witnesses or parties to a proceeding will only be allowed into the court premises 30 minutes before the hearing of their case begins.

● Witnesses are required to liaise with their respective police officers or lawyers prior to their case for court attendance and other matters in the court premises.

● There is limited seating and space in the open court. All parties are required to sit within the borders marked on the seats to maintain social distancing.

● All persons are required to leave the court premises as soon as their matter is completed.

● All are required to maintain cleanliness of the court premises.

● Those who attend court are requested to comply with all directions relating to Covid-19 issued by the Health Ministry.

The Chief Registrar's office hopes there is understanding from all parties in ensuring the safety and well-being of court users at these unprecedented times. Further information on the judiciary's SOP is available on its official website at www.kehakiman.gov.my.

Among the scheduled trials this month include former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's 1Malaysia Development Bhd trial on May 18.

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