Comparison View

Formal Consolidation |  2015 RevEd
Rules of Court
19.—(1)  The Rules Committee constituted under section 80(3) of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap. 322) may make Rules of Court to regulate and prescribe the procedure and practice to be followed in respect of civil proceedings under this Act.
(2)  Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the Rules Committee may make Rules of Court for the following purposes:
(a)to provide for expedited procedures;
(b)to provide for any orders made under this Act to be published in a specified manner;
(c)to empower the court to make any ancillary orders for the purposes of this Act;
(d)in relation to proceedings for an order under section 12, 13 or 15, where the name of any party to whom the order is intended to apply is unknown, for that party to be identified by an Internet location address, a website, a username or account, an electronic mail address or any other unique identifier;
(e)to prescribe the persons who may bring proceedings for an order under section 12, 13 or 15 and all other civil proceedings under this Act, on behalf of the victim under section 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, as the case may be, or any other person making an application under this Act;
(f)to provide for costs and fees of such proceedings, and for regulating any matter relating to the costs of such proceedings,
and section 80 of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act shall apply to the making of these Rules of Court.
(3)  Rules of Court may, instead of providing for any matter, refer to any provision made or to be made about that matter by practice directions issued for the time being by the Registrar of the Supreme Court or the Registrar of the State Courts, as the case may be.
Informal Consolidation | Amended Act 40 of 2019
Rules of Court
19.—(1)  The Rules Committee constituted under section 80(3) of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap. 322) may make Rules of Court to regulate and prescribe the procedure and practice to be followed in respect of civil proceedings under this Act and in the Protection from Harassment Court.
[Act 17 of 2019 wef 01/06/2021]
(2)  Without affecting subsection (1), Rules of Court may be made for the following purposes:
(a)to provide for expedited procedures;
(b)to provide for any orders made under this Act to be published in a specified manner;
(c)to empower the court to make any ancillary orders for the purposes of this Act;
(d)in relation to proceedings for an order under section 12 or 13 or Division 2 of Part 3, where the name of any party to whom the order is intended to apply is unknown, for that party to be identified by an Internet location address, a website, a username or account, an electronic mail address or any other unique identifier;
[Act 17 of 2019 wef 01/04/2020]
(e)to prescribe the persons who may bring civil proceedings under this Act on behalf of —
(i)any victim mentioned in section 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7; or
(ii)any subject mentioned in Division 2 of Part 3;
[Act 17 of 2019 wef 01/04/2020]
(f)to provide for the costs (including disbursements) and fees of any civil proceedings under this Act, and for regulating any matter relating to the costs of such proceedings;
[Act 17 of 2019 wef 01/04/2020]
(g)to prescribe anything that this Act requires or permits to be prescribed by Rules of Court.
[Act 17 of 2019 wef 01/04/2020]
(2A)  Without affecting subsections (1) and (2), Rules of Court may be made, in relation to a Protection from Harassment Court, for the following purposes:
(a)to provide for any civil proceedings in that Court to be conducted in an informal manner;
(b)to provide for the adoption of a judge‑led approach in any civil proceedings in that Court;
(c)to provide that that Court is not bound by the rules of evidence in the conduct of any civil proceedings, and may inform itself on any matter in such manner as it thinks fit;
(d)to prescribe the persons who may act for a party to any civil proceedings in that Court;
(e)to expressly empower that Court to do any of the following things in any civil proceedings in that Court, where that Court thinks it fit to do so in the interest of justice, safety or propriety:
(i)to order the redaction of any information (including the name of a party) contained in any document filed in those civil proceedings;
(ii)to order that those civil proceedings be heard in private;
(iii)to order any person to do any act or refrain from any conduct, so as to prevent the identification of any witness or party in those civil proceedings;
(f)to expressly empower that Court to decide any matter in the absence of any party to any civil proceedings in that Court, if that party fails without reasonable excuse to attend any civil proceedings in that Court, even if the interests of that party are prejudicially affected by that decision;
(g)to provide for the costs (including disbursements) and fees of any civil proceedings in that Court, and for any such costs or fees not to apply except in certain specified circumstances.
[Act 17 of 2019 wef 01/06/2021]
(3)  Rules of Court may, instead of providing for any matter, refer to any provision made or to be made about that matter by practice directions issued for the time being by the Registrar of the Supreme Court or the Registrar of the State Courts, as the case may be.