"As the government had already decided to provide land in the backyard of the existing building at Singha Durbar, where the Nepal Army runs its cavalry, the committee has assured us that it would soon start building provisional benches," said Baburam Dahal, deputy-spokesperson for the apex court.
"The tender process has already begun and we are hopeful that the construction work would start soon," he added.As the main building of the Supreme Court developed serious cracks in the quake, the apex court has set up six provisional benches in its annex building to conduct hearings.
"We are in a difficult situation but we are trying to make everything easy and accessible for the general public," said Dahal. "We sometimes conduct hearings even under tents," he added.
The Judicial Council has confined its office on the single floor to create space for the apex court benches in the annex building. Likewise, the court has rented the ground floor of the Nepal Bar Association to set up its various divisions and units. The court has also been using rooms inside small buildings on its premises. Earlier, the buildings used by trade unions.
A team of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) had inspected the main building of the apex court and found that the main building had developed three serious cracks. The team had suggested to the Supreme Court not to open the main building to service seekers.
"As the court remained closed for public for almost 15 days after the earthquake, the number of cases being registered has increased in recent days," said Dahal. "However, the leadership of Chief Justice Ram Kumar Prasad Shah and guidance and initiation of other justices has motivated all the apex court staffers to work in a difficult situation," he added.
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