The Bangalore Mediation Centre, an initiative of the High Court of Karnataka has notified the basic protective measures against the COVID-19 during BMC hours in its premises.
According to the notification, several measures need to be adopted by Judicial officers and staff of mediation centre to contain the spread of the virus and to protect themselves from getting indebted. In wake of the lockdown being extended till May 31st, BMC has decided to resume its mediation work online from June 1st in interest of the staff, mediators, advocates, litigants and the public, and the following instructions will have to be followed
- Only 50% of Group C employees will be put on duty during working hours on alternate days, while all staff members from Group C and D be will be on duty.
- The staff members will have to follow all the precautionary measures stated in the Advisory that has been separately issued to all Judicial officers
- The Judicial officers, staff and mediators entering the premises must wear face masks and hand gloves, use hand sanitizers and follow social distancing.
- The Mediation proceedings will commence only through video conferencing , and will be joined only by advocates and the concerned parties who will also have to ensure that the link is not forwarded to any other advocate or person.
- Once the date of Mediation is fixed, BMC will inform the parties and mediators and in case of urgent matters the memo needs to be moved via an email to BMC, which will fix the date for the same and inform the parties.
- The entry of litigants, advocates and visitors to BMC precincts is strictly prohibited. Use of masks and washing of hands with liquid soap or alcohol based sanitizer is compulsary.
- The staff and mediators will have to undergo thermal screening test before entering the premises and anyone with Covid symptoms will not be allowed to enter. Everyone is required to download Aarogya setu app and self assessment has to be done everyday, and only asymptomatic people will be allowed entry to the premises.
- The officers who left the Headquarters or were in leave before March 23rd will be allowed entry only after they undergo medical examination by the Doctors at the High Court dispensary, and if necessary, they must be ready to undergo home quarantine for period of 14 days.
- Mediators entering BMC for mediation must give a written declaration stating that they haven’t travelled to any other State or country in the recent past.
- The unit head will be responsible to take steps to sanitize BMC premises once a week and the first sanitization will be done before reopening of the premises before June 1st 2020.
The notification has also requested everyone to take the necessary precautions, as they are not only responsible for their own safety but also the safety of their family and colleagues at the workplace.
India Legal Bureau