Subordinate Courts Bill
Table of Contents
Long Title
Enacting Formula
Part I PRELIMINARY
1 Short title and commencement
2 Interpretation
Part II CONSTITUTION
3 The subordinate courts
4 Court houses
5 Seals of courts
6 Process of 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 officers
15 Powers and duties of certain subordinate officers
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 Transfer of counterclaim from District Court to High Court
25 Jurisdiction in actions for recovery of immovable property
26 Jurisdiction where title in question
27 Transfer of actions for recovery of immovable property from District Court to High Court
28 Jurisdiction to grant probates
29 Administration actions
30 Jurisdiction to issue distress
31 Jurisdiction to grant relief by interpleader
32 Ancillary jurisdiction
33 Ancillary powers of District Judge in District Court
34 Jurisdiction of Registrar
35 Division of causes of action
36 Service outside jurisdiction
37 Examination of witnesses abroad in District Court cases
38 General power to transfer from High Court to District Court
39 General power to transfer from District Court to High Court
40 Costs of actions commenced in High Court which could have been commenced in a District Court
41 Costs in cases transferred from one court to another
42 Finality of judgments and orders of District Court
43 Satisfaction of judgments and orders for payments of money
44 Enforcement of judgments of District Courts
45 Property exempted from seizure under District Court writ of execution
46 District Court may forward judgment to High Court for execution
47 General provision relating to civil appeals
48 Agreement not to appeal
49 Appeal not to operate as stay of execution
Criminal Jurisdiction of the 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 Transfer from Magistrates’ Courts to District Courts
54 Judgments and orders of Magistrates’ Courts
Jurisdiction of Juvenile Courts
55 Jurisdiction of Juvenile Courts
Jurisdiction of Coroners’ Courts
56 Jurisdiction of Coroners’ Courts
Part V ADMINISTRATION
57 Sittings of subordinate courts
58 Nature of business at any sitting
59 Distribution of business
60 Office of a court
61 Vacation for District and Magistrates’ Courts
62 List of touts
63 Impounding documents
64 Disqualification of Judicial Officers
65 Judical 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 REPEAL AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS
70 Repeal and savings
71 Existing officers
Explanatory Statement
Expenditure of Public Money