The Supreme Court, on Sunday, issued a circular permitting the state to file criminal cases at magistrate courts via email in certain circumstances.

According to the circular signed by Chief of Justice Dr Ahmed Abdulla Didi, the Prosecutor General's (PG) Office could email necessary documents if it was impossible to submit original copies within the timeframe specified by the Criminal Procedure Act.

The Supreme Court stated that the move was to facilitate convenient submission of criminal cases to magistrate courts across the country.

Original copies of documents must be sent to the courts within five working days of any email submissions.