Courts ordered closed until March 31

KUALA LUMPUR: All proceedings will be put on hold from Wednesday (March 18) with court premises around the country shutting down as the government's Movement Control order comes into effect.

A directive issued by the Chief Registrar's Office on Tuesday (March 17) stated that all hearings for civil and criminal cases between March 18 and March 31 would be postponed and new dates would be fixed at a later time.

However, for courts with access to e-Kehakiman system, filing of new civil cases or documents will continue with e-filing.

Case management for civil cases will also continue online through the e-Review system.

The directive, which was signed by Chief Registrar Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, also said that for bailable offences, the state court director must ensure that bail could be processed as usual.

A source told The Star that judges had received a message earlier in the day notifying them of the 'total close-down of court premises'.

"Judges and court staff do not need to be present at court until March 31.

"Everyone has to stay away from court premises during the period," it said.