Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1969 - Singapore Statutes Online

FIRST SCHEDULE

Sections 18(2) and 18I(1)(a)

Additional powers of General Division

Prerogative orders

1. Power to issue to any person or authority any direction, order or writ for the enforcement of any right conferred by any written law or for any other purpose, including the following prerogative orders:

(a)	a Mandatory Order (formerly known as mandamus);
(b)	a Prohibiting Order (formerly known as a prohibition);
(c)	a Quashing Order (formerly known as certiorari); and
(d)	an Order for Review of Detention (formerly known as a writ of habeas corpus).

Partition and sale in lieu of partition

2. Power to partition land and to direct a sale instead of partition in any action for partition of land; and in any cause or matter relating to land, where it appears necessary or expedient, to order the land or any part of it to be sold, and to give all necessary and consequential directions.

Charge or mortgage in lieu of sale of land

3. Power to order land to be charged or mortgaged (as the case may be) in any case in which there is jurisdiction to order a sale.

Interpleader

4. Power to grant relief by way of interpleader —

(a)	where the person seeking relief is under liability for any debt, money, or goods or chattels, for or in respect of which the person has been or expects to be, sued by 2 or more parties making adverse claims thereon; and
(b)	where a Sheriff, bailiff or other officer of court is charged with the execution of process of court, and claim is made to any money or goods or chattels taken or intended to be taken under or pursuant to an enforcement order under any process, or to the proceeds or value of any such goods or chattels by any person other than the person against whom the process is issued,

and to order the sale of any property subject to interpleader proceedings.

[Act 25 of 2021 wef 01/04/2022]

Preservation of subject matter, evidence and assets to satisfy judgment

5. Power before or after any proceedings are commenced to provide for —

(a)	the interim preservation of property which is the subject matter of the proceedings by sale or by injunction or the appointment of receiver or the registration of a caveat or a lis pendens or in any manner whatsoever;
(b)	the preservation of evidence by seizure, detention, inspection, photographing, the taking of samples, the conduct of experiments or in any manner; and
(c)	the preservation of assets for the satisfaction of any judgment which has been or may be made.

Interest

6. Power to direct interest to be paid on damages, or debts (whether the debts are paid before or after commencement of proceedings) or judgment debts, or on sums found due on taking accounts between parties, or on sums found due and unpaid by receivers or other persons liable to account to the court.

Time

7. Power to enlarge or abridge the time prescribed by any written law for doing any act or taking any proceeding, whether the application therefor is made before or after the expiration of the time prescribed, but this provision does not affect any written law relating to limitation.

Enforcement of judgment

8. Power to enforce a judgment of the court in any manner which may be prescribed by any written law or by Rules of Court or Family Justice Rules.

Stay of proceedings

9. Power to dismiss or stay proceedings where the matter in question is res judicata between the parties, or where by reason of multiplicity of proceedings in any court or courts or by reason of a court in Singapore not being the appropriate forum the proceedings ought not to be continued.

Transfer of proceedings

10. Power to transfer any proceedings to any other court or to or from any subordinate court, and in the case of transfer to or from a subordinate court to give any directions as to the further conduct thereof, except that this power is to be exercised in such manner as may be prescribed by Rules of Court or Family Justice Rules.

Set-off

11. Power to allow a defence of set-off.

Discovery and interrogatories

12. Power before or after any proceedings are commenced to order discovery of facts or documents by any party to the proceedings or by any other person in such manner as may be prescribed by Rules of Court or Family Justice Rules.

Costs

13. Power to award costs.

Reliefs and remedies

14. Power to grant all reliefs and remedies at law and in equity, including damages in addition to, or in substitution for, an injunction or specific performance.

Interim payment

15. Power to order a party in a pending proceeding to make interim payments to another party or to a stakeholder or into court on account of any damages, debt or other sum, excluding costs, which the party may subsequently in the proceeding be adjudged to be liable to pay.

Provisional damages for personal injuries

16. Power to award in any action for damages for personal injuries, provisional damages assessed on the assumption that a contingency will not happen and further damages at a future date if the contingency happens.

Periodic payments

17. Power to order damages assessed in any action for personal injuries to be paid in periodic instalments rather than as a lump sum.

Attaching deposits

18. Power to attach deposits with a financial institution whether or not the deposits have matured and despite any restriction as to the mode of withdrawal.

Ordering medical examination

19. Power to order medical examination of a person who is a party to any proceedings where the physical or mental condition of the person is relevant to any matter in question in the proceedings.

Examination and assessment of child, etc.

20. Power, in any proceedings involving the custody or welfare of a child or involving a person —

(a)	to appoint a registered medical practitioner, psychologist, counsellor, social worker or mental health professional to examine and assess the child or person (as the case may be) for the purposes of preparing expert evidence for use in those proceedings; and
(b)	to prohibit from being adduced in those proceedings any evidence arising out of an examination or assessment of the child or person by any person who is not so appointed.

Ordering mediation, counselling, attendance at professional clinical or therapeutic intervention sessions or participation in family support programme or activity

21.—(1) Power to order any party to any proceedings, or any child involved in or whose custody or welfare is involved in the proceedings —

(a)	to undergo any mediation or other alternative dispute resolution process or counselling, or to participate in any family support programme or activity, directed by the court; and
(b)	to attend any professional clinical or therapeutic intervention sessions directed by the court.

(2) In this paragraph, “family support programme or activity” means any programme or activity carried out for the purpose of addressing or resolving any relationship issue or relationship problem between spouses or former spouses, between siblings or between parent and child.

[Act 18 of 2023 wef 31/01/2024]

Power to appoint mediators

21A. Where a court orders any party to any proceedings, or any child involved in or whose custody or welfare is involved in the proceedings, to undergo any mediation or other alternative dispute resolution process, the court also has the following powers:

(a)	to conduct the mediation or other alternative dispute resolution process;
(b)	to appoint a Judge, a Registrar, an officer of the Supreme Court, or any other person, to conduct the mediation or other alternative dispute resolution process. [Act 18 of 2023 wef 31/01/2024]

Late filing charge

22. Power, in any case where a person fails to file any document within the period (for the filing of that document) specified in any order or direction of a court, any Rules of Court or any practice directions issued by the Registrar, to require the person to pay a late filing charge, of such amount as may be prescribed in the Rules of Court, for each day, after the expiry of that period, that that document remains unfiled.

Ordering parties to attempt to resolve dispute by amicable resolution

23.—(1) Power to order any party to any proceedings to attempt to resolve any dispute by amicable resolution.

(2) In this paragraph, “amicable resolution” means —

(a)	settlement of an action or appeal relating to a dispute; or
(b)	resolution of a dispute other than by litigation, whether in whole or in part. [Act 25 of 2021 wef 01/04/2022] [27/2014; 46/2018; 40/2019]

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