The Kerala High Court has directed magistrates and special judges to allow production of accused through electronic video linkage or appropriate electronic medium, in view of the reported instances of many accused produced before courts testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 later.
The High Court directed State Police Chief Loknath Behera to ask the police personnel to produce the accused before the magistrates through electronic video linkage facilities, even if they were brought for the first time.
In an order, the High Court Registrar (Subordinate Judiciary) P.G. Ajithkumar said it was reported from several parts of the State that the accused presented before the courts had later tested positive. As a result, the magistrate concerned were forced to go into quarantine. Besides, the magistrates and court staff were becoming more and more vulnerable to the disease.
The Registrar made it clear that the police could be allowed to produce the accused through electronic linkages using desktop/ laptop/ mobile or any such electronic linkage as may be available.
In fact, three magistrates and several police personnel had recently gone into quarantine in two districts after three remand prisoners had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
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