Govt reps required to attend court cases

Government departments should send representatives to attend case hearings when the authorities are taken to court, according to a judicial interpretation released on Wednesday by China's top court.

The interpretation clarifies government department representatives as heads, deputy heads and those responsible for the authority's management, stating these people should attend trials if their workplace is subject to a lawsuit.

If these representatives cannot take part in a case hearing, they must submit an explanation to court and should ask other officials to attend, it said, adding that only entrusting a lawyer to face a lawsuit is not allowed.