Rules of Court
s 32
32.—(1) The Rules Committee appointed under section 80(3) of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1969 may make Rules of Court to —(a) regulate and prescribe the procedure and practice to be followed in the tribunals and the Registry, including any procedure and practice to be followed in any proceedings or hearings (including mediation), and any matters incidental to or relating to any such procedure and practice; (b) regulate the enforcement of decisions, directions and orders of the tribunals and the Registrar; and (c) prescribe such matters as are required by this Act to be prescribed or as are necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Act. (2) Without limiting subsection (1), the Rules of Court may provide for the following:(a) what part of the business which may be transacted and the jurisdiction and powers which may be exercised by a tribunal judge may be exercised by the Registrar; (b) the form and content of documents to be used for the purposes under this Act, the service of documents and the giving of notices; (c) the manner and time within which any act, application, claim or appeal under this Act is to be done or made; (d) the functions, powers and duties of the tribunals, the Registrar and other officers including but not limited to —(i) the service of documents and giving of notices; (ii) the enlargement and abridgement of time for the doing of any act or taking any proceedings; and (iii) the conduct of proceedings; (e) the manner in and the time within which an application or a claim may be heard, and the circumstances and manner in which claims may be heard together; (f) the withdrawal and amendment of claims; (g) the summoning of witnesses and the payment of witnesses from public funds or otherwise; (h) the means by which particular facts may be proved, and the mode in which evidence of such facts may be given, in any proceedings or on any application in connection with or at any stage of any proceedings; (i) the commission of offences by, and the punishment of, persons who refuse to give evidence or obey a summons to witness; (j) the transfer of proceedings from a tribunal to a court; (k) to regulate the joinder of parties and to prescribe in what cases persons absent, but having an interest in the claim, are to be bound by any order made in that claim, and the circumstances in which orders may be made for the representation of absent persons by one or more parties to a cause or matter; (ka) the procedure and requirements for the registration of a settlement agreement as an order of a tribunal and the establishment of a register of registered settlement agreements;[Act 43 of 2024 wef 01/09/2026] (kb) the procedure and requirements for an application made under section 17A including the fees or costs to be imposed on any person mentioned in that section;[Act 43 of 2024 wef 01/09/2026] (l) the circumstances in which a decision, a direction or an order of the Registrar or a tribunal may be set aside and the procedure for setting aside such decisions, directions or orders; (m) the circumstances in which a decision, a direction or an order of the Registrar may be appealed against and the procedure for appeals from the Registrar to a tribunal and from a tribunal to the General Division of the High Court; (n) the scales of allowances, costs and fees to be taken or paid to any party or witness in any proceedings in a tribunal or before the Registrar, the fees to be charged in respect of anything done or any service rendered under or by virtue of this Act, the circumstances in which costs may be awarded in any proceedings in a tribunal or before the Registrar and for regulating any matters relating to the costs of such proceedings.[40/2019] (3) The Rules of Court may, instead of providing for any matter, refer to any provision made or to be made for 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. (4) All Rules of Court made under this section are to be presented to Parliament as soon as possible after publication in the Gazette.