No case was taken up at Calcutta High Court and 206 subordinate courts across Bengal on Wednesday as the state Bar Council decided not to attend hearings at least till March 21 as a “precautionary measure” to combat the novel coronavirus.

High court judges were present to take up “urgent cases”, but no hearing was held in the absence of lawyers.

In some of the subordinate criminal courts, persons arrested in the last 24 hours were produced before magistrates.

In the first half of the day, doctors with thermal guns were present at Gate A (through which judges enter) and the main gate of Sesqui-Centenary Building of the high court.

In the second half, doctors equipped with thermal guns were present at gates B and E of the old court building to examine the body temperature of entrants.

“About 300 people, litigants, law clerks, high court staff and even the judges, were examined before they entered the court premises,” a police source said.

The judges waited for some time and left courtrooms.

Only public prosecutors attended lower courts as production of the accused in criminal cases before magistrates within 24 hours of their arrests was mandatory. “Physical conditions of the accused are tested either by police or jail authorities before their production in the court. So, there was no need for their further tests,” a law department officer said.

Assembly walkout

The Left and Congress MLAs on Tuesday staged a walkout in the Assembly and demonstrated on the premises after Speaker Biman Banerjee rejected their demand for a statement by chief minister Mamata Banerjee — also the health minister — on measures taken by her government to combat the novel coronavirus.