Single bench at Supreme Court after a Justice tests positive for COVID-19

Kathmandu - The Supreme Court (SC) has made only a single bench available due to growing risk of COVID-19. The SC has availed only one bench after some of the Justices tested positive for COVID-19, informed Deputy Spokesperson at SC, Devendra Dahal, adding that the decision was taken to prevent further spread of infection among the legal practitioners, staffers and service seekers.

According to him, the single bench was of Justice Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma. Those infected with COVID-19 were staying in home-isolation. Earlier, single and division benches were available in the SC to conduct hearing on the cases of higher urgency and importance.

Today, only Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JBR and another Justice Dr Sharma were present at the SC. In a notice issued by the SC here today, it said some staffers and Justice had been infected with coronavirus and they were undergoing treatment at home-isolation. The single bench of Dr Sharma will conduct hearings on writ petitions and the case of urgent address.