Published on 12:00 AM, June 17, 2020

13 judges infected with Covid-19

26 court staffers also have the disease

Thirteen judges and 26 staff of lower courts across the country have so far been infected with Covid-19.

Four lower court judges with Covid-19 symptoms are receiving treatment in isolation, Supreme Court sources said yesterday.

District and Sessions Judge of Netrokona Shahjahan Kabir and Chief Judicial Magistrate of Munshiganj Begum Rokeya Rahman, who were the first among the judges to have been infected with the virus, have already recovered and joined their offices.

Ferdous Ahmed, judge of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Lalmonirhat, has been admitted to the ICU at Combined Military Hospital, sources said, adding that he has been given plasma therapy.

Begum Shamim Ahmed, Judge of Special Judge Court-8 of Dhaka, has been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The other infected judges and staff members are receiving treatment at their residences, according to the sources.

Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has talked to all the infected judges and asked officials concerned to take necessary actions to ensure proper treatment of the judges.

The chief justice also asked the district judges concerned to take appropriate measures for the treatment of the infected staff.

Two separate committees have recently been formed to ensure the treatment of the infected judges across the country.

Earlier last month, the law ministry set up a monitoring cell to ensure treatment of the lower court judges.

Law Minister Anisul Huq is giving necessary directives to the monitoring cell to this effect, law ministry sources said.