Subordinate Courts (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 37/1995

Read the first time on 1st November 1995.

An Act to amend the Subordinate Courts Act (Chapter 321 of the 1985 Revised Edition) and to make related amendments to the Interpretation Act (Chapter 1 of the 1985 Revised Edition) and the Small Claims Tribunals Act (Chapter 308 of the 1985 Revised Edition).

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Subordinate Courts (Amendment) Act 1995 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Repeal and re-enactment of section 8

2. Section 8 of the Subordinate Courts Act is repealed and the following section substituted therefor:

“Contempt

8.—(1) The subordinate courts shall have power to punish for contempt of court where the contempt is committed —

(a)	in the face of the court; or
(b)	in connection with any proceedings in the subordinate courts.

(2) Where contempt of court is committed in the circumstances mentioned in subsection (1), the court may impose imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding $2,000 or both.

(3) The court may discharge the offender or remit the punishment if the court thinks it just to do so.

(4) In any case where the contempt is punishable as an offence under section 175, 178, 179, 180 or 228 of the Penal Code [Cap. 224], the court may, in lieu of punishing the offender for contempt, refer the matter to the Attorney-General with a view to instituting criminal proceedings against the offender.”.

Amendment of section 69

3. Section 69 of the Subordinate Courts Act is amended —

(a)

by deleting subsection (1) and substituting the following subsection:

“(1) The Rules Committee appointed under section 80(3) of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act [Cap. 322] may make Rules of Court regulating and prescribing the procedure and the practice to be followed in the District Courts and the Magistrates, Courts in the exercise of their civil jurisdiction and any matters incidental to or relating to any such procedure or practice.”; and

(b)

by deleting subsections (4), (5) and (6).

Amendment to Interpretation Act

4. Section 2 of the Interpretation Act [Cap. 1] is amended by inserting, immediately after subsection (2), the following subsection:

“(2A) In every written law enacted before or after the commencement of the Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Act 1995 and the Subordinate Courts (Amendment) Act 1995, references to the Rules of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court Rules, the Rules of the Subordinate Courts or the Subordinate Courts Rules, shall be construed as references to the Rules of Court.”.

Amendment to Small Claims Tribunals Act

5. The Small Claims Tribunals Act [Cap. 308] is amended —

(a)

by deleting the definition of “rules” in section 2 and substituting the following definition:

“ “rules” means rules made under section 44;”; and

(b)

by deleting the words “by the Chief Justice under section 69(4) of the Subordinate Courts Act” in the first and second lines of section 44(1) and substituting the words “under section 80(3) of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act [Cap. 322]”.

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