Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has devised a policy on continuing the operations of courts during the State of Health Emergency.
The policy includes instructing all superior and appeal courts to formulate a Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) on conducting trials during the health emergency, which is to be followed by the judges of the respective courts. JSC has also decided to instruct the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) to facilitate means for courts to work in accordance with the SOPs, and to formulate an SOP for magistrate courts to continue operations during the health emergency upon discussions with chief magistrates. The policy set by JSC also includes instructing DJA to implement the necessary safety measures for judges and court staff in order to ensure a safe working environment amid the health emergency.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has formulated its policy on conducting hearings through videoconferencing. While the policy allows the court to record trials and type up the witness statements, the physical signature of the witnesses must still be obtained.