As the country begins a gradual reopening process during the Covid-19 crisis, all courts in Colombo too are planning to reopen tomorrow (11), but there will be some restrictions and adjustments made to meet the social distancing requirements, The Sunday Morning learnt. “As of Saturday (9) afternoon, the decision was to reopen all courts in Colombo on 11 May. And the courts in other parts of the country where the curfew has been lifted had already been reopened last week,” Secretary to the Ministry of Justice J.J. Ratnasiri said. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, he noted that the relevant decisions with regard to the functioning of the courts would be taken by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) while the Ministry is supporting the gradual reopening under strict rules to control the spread of the virus. Issuing a notice on 3 May, the Supreme Court Registrar has stated that the court sittings will be resumed on tomorrow and all the cases that were/are to be taken in open courts from 27 April to 6 May 2020 are to be rescheduled and new dates will be duly notified. When contacted, Colombo Law Society (CLS) President Vijaya Gamage told The Sunday Morning that all courts would be reopened on tomorrow and strict measures would be taken by the CLS to maintain social distancing. “All cases at the District Court which are scheduled to be taken up on tomorrow (11) would be postponed by way of notice,” he added. According to him, the seating arrangements and the number of cases that would be heard in respective courts would be decided considering the social distancing regulations. All court premises in Colombo would be disinfected prior to reopening on tomorrow together with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society. In addition, cleaning and sanitising facilities would also be established at court premises, Gamage noted. – Maheesha Mudugamuwa