Original jurisdiction.
Article 143
ARTICLE 143. Original jurisdiction. — (1) The Shari'a District Court shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over: (a) All cases involving custody, guardianship, legitimacy, paternity and filiation arising under this Code; (b) All cases involving disposition, distribution and settlement of the estate of deceased Muslims, probate of wills, issuance of letters of administration or appointment of administrators or executors regardless of the nature or the aggregate value of the property; (c) Petitions for the declaration of absence and death and for the cancellation or correction of entries in the Muslim Registries mentioned in Title VI of Book Two of this Code; (d) All actions arising from customary contracts in which the parties are Muslims, if they have not specified which law shall govern their relations; and (e) All petitions for mandamus, prohibition, injunction, certiorari, habeas corpus, and all other auxiliary writs and processes in aid of its appellate jurisdiction. (2) Concurrently with existing civil courts, the Shari'a District Court shall have original jurisdiction over: (a) Petitions by Muslims for the constitution of a family home, change of name and commitment of an insane person to an asylum; (b) All other personal and real actions not mentioned in paragraph 1 (d) wherein the parties involved are Muslims except those for forcible entry and unlawful detainer, which shall fall under the exclusive original jurisdiction of the Municipal Circuit Court; and (c) All special civil actions for interpleader or declaratory relief wherein the parties are Muslims or the property involved belongs exclusively to Muslims.