Kathmandu, May 28  

The Supreme Court today ruled that the period between March 22 and the time when the lockdown would end should be considered zero period for those whose deadline for filing or contesting cases or joining court proceedings had lapsed.  

The grand Full bench of the apex court comprising 19 justices delivered the verdict in response to petitions filed by advocates Tikaram Bhattarai and Maheshwar Shrestha in the Case and Writ Division of the Supreme Court. The SC had decided to halt its non-urgent court proceedings from March 22.  

The SC said that those persons who had time to file case or join court proceedings on March 22, will have 30 days’ period barring travel time after the lockdown ends to file or contest cases, or join court proceedings in a court of law or quasi-judicial bodies.  

The court also said if anybody who is supposed to contest a case or join court proceedings in 30 days after the end of lockdown, is sent to quarantine or isolation, then that person can contest his/her case or join court proceedings within 15 days after s/he is released from quarantine centres or isolation wards.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 29, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.