Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain today constituted nine more High Court benches for virtually hearing and disposing of "very urgent cases", as the courts will reopen tomorrow (Sunday) after a two-week annual vacation.

With these, 16 benches of the High Court will perform judicial functions from tomorrow (Sunday) virtually and maintaining health and hygiene guidelines, but they cannot hold hearing on anticipatory bail petitions till further notice, Supreme Court sources said.

Of the nine benches constituted today, six are division (two judges) bench and three are single (one judge) bench, according to a notification issued by the chief justice.

The division benches are of Justice Krishna Debnath and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar Kajol; of Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique and Justice KM Hafizul Alam; of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim; of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Ahmed Sohel; of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil; and of Justice Shahidul Karim and Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman.

The single benches are of Justice Mahmudul Hoque; of Justice Zafar Ahmed and of Justice ASM Abdul Mobin.

A full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and its chamber bench will conduct judicial functions virtually like they did earlier, Supreme Court Spokesman Mohammad Saifur Rahman told The Daily Star.

Meanwhile, SC Registrar General Md Ali Akbar issued a circular under the directive from the chief justice saying that the lower courts concerned can hear the applications filed by the accused of criminal cases seeking bail on their surrenders.

The courts of chief judicial magistrates, metropolitan magistrates, human trafficking offence prevention tribunals and cyber tribunals will dispose of the bail petitions maintaining health guidelines.

The accused will have to surrender before the courts for bail in the cases against them, according to the notification.