Subordinate Courts Act(CHAPTER 321)
Table of Contents
Long Title
Part I PRELIMINARY
1 Short title
2 Interpretation
Part II CONSTITUTION
3 Subordinate courts
4 Court houses
5 Seals of courts
6 Process of courts
6A Sittings of subordinate courts
7 Sittings in camera, etc.
8 Contempt
Part III APPOINTMENTS, POWERS AND DUTIES
9 Appointments and qualifications of District Judges
10 Appointments and qualifications of Magistrates and Coroners
11 Justices of the Peace
12 Appointments and qualifications of registrar and deputy registrars of subordinate courts
13 Powers and duties of deputy registrars
14 Subordinate court officers
15 Powers and duties of certain subordinate court officers
15A Solicitor, etc., authorised to act as bailiff
16 Special powers of bailiffs
17 Oaths of judicial officers and certain other officers
18 Appointments and revocations to be gazetted
Part IV JURISDICTION
Civil Jurisdiction of District Courts
19 General civil jurisdiction
20 Jurisdiction in actions of contract and tort
21 Jurisdiction in actions for recovery of money under any written law
22 Abandonment of part of claim to give District Court jurisdiction
23 Jurisdiction by agreement in certain actions
24 (Repealed)
25 Jurisdiction in actions for recovery of immovable property
26 Equity jurisdiction
27 Jurisdiction to grant probates
28 Jurisdiction to issue writ of distress
29 Jurisdiction to grant relief by interpleader
30 Variation of District Court limit
31 Powers of District Court same as High Court
32 Powers of District Judge in chambers
33 Assessors
34 Jurisdiction of registrar
35 Division of causes of action
36 Examination of witnesses abroad in District Court cases
37 (Repealed)
38 (Repealed)
39 Costs of certain actions commenced in High Court which could have been commenced in a subordinate court
40 (Repealed)
41 Allocation of proceedings to High Court
42 Finality of judgments and orders of District Court
43 Satisfaction of judgments and orders for payment of money
44 Enforcement of judgments of District Courts
45 Execution of deed or indorsement of negotiable instrument
46 (Repealed)
47 General provision relating to civil appeals
48 Agreement not to appeal
49 Appeal not to operate as stay of execution
Criminal Jurisdiction of District Courts
50 Jurisdiction of District Courts exercising criminal jurisdiction
Jurisdiction of Magistrates’ Courts
51 Criminal jurisdiction of Magistrates’ Courts
52 Civil jurisdiction of Magistrates’ Courts
53 (Repealed)
54 Judgments and orders of Magistrates’ Courts
Transfers of Civil Proceedings
54A General power to transfer from Magistrate’s Court to District Court
54B General power to transfer from subordinate courts to High Court
54C General power to transfer from High Court to subordinate courts
54D General power to transfer from District Court to Magistrate’s Court
54E Transfer of counterclaim from subordinate courts to High Court
54F Transfer of counterclaim from Magistrate’s Court to District Court
54G Costs in cases transferred from one court to another
Jurisdiction of Juvenile Courts
55 Jurisdiction of Juvenile Courts
Jurisdiction of Coroners’ Courts
56 Jurisdiction of Coroners’ Courts
Reference of Constitutional Question
56A Reference of constitutional question to High Court
Part V ADMINISTRATION
57 Registry of subordinate courts
58 Nature of business at any sitting
59 Distribution of business
60 Office of a court
61 Vacations for District and Magistrates’ Courts
62 List of touts
63 Impounding documents
64 Disqualification of judicial officers
65 Judicial officers not to act where interested
66 Officers of court not to bid at sales under any written law
67 Misconduct of officers
68 Protection of judicial and other officers
69 Rules of Court
Part VI SUPPLEMENTAL
70 Conversion of pending petitions to writs of summons and originating summonses
Legislative History
Comparative Table