Y1S2sivaarticleWord文档格式.docx

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1.HistoryofSingaporeLaw&

1819–1866:

BritishOccupation

Priorto6February1819jurisdictionoverthehandfulofMalayfishermenontheislandofSingaporewasexercisedbytheDatoTemenggong,whowasasubjectoftheSultanofJohore.FollowingthetreatyoffriendshipandallianceenteredintobetweenSirStamfordRafflesandtheDatoTemenggong,thecityofSingaporewasplacedunderthejurisdictionofBencoolen（Sumatra）asRaffleswastheGovernorofBencoolen.In1823,RafflesissuedaRegulationthatremovedthecontrolofBencoolenoverSingaporeandmadethecityadependencyoftheIndianGovernmentinBengalunderthejurisdictionoftheSupremeCourtofCalcutta.

In1826,theBritishCrownissuedtheSecondCharterofJusticethatcreatedtheCourtofJudicatureofPrinceWalesIsland,SingaporeandMalaccaandformallyintroducedEnglishlawtotheisland.Therewasonly1professionaljudge（Recorder）whowasassistedbylayjudges.TheRecorder,whoseheadquarterswasinPenang,visitedSingaporeonlytwiceayear.In1855,aThirdCharterofJusticewasgrantedwhichmovedtheCourttoSingaporeandappointedanadditionalRecorder.

1867–1946:

StraitsSettlements

Duringthisperiod,SingaporewaspartoftheColonyoftheStraitsSettlements（togetherwithMalaccaandPenang）andwasadministeredbytheColonialOfficeinLondon.On4February1867,the1stLegislativeCounciloftheStraitsSettlementswassetup,replacingtheLegislativeCouncilofIndia.Thereafter,StraitsSettlementsActsandOrdinanceswereenactedtogovernSingaporeaswellasMalaccaandPenang.

In1868,theSupremeCourtoftheStraitsSettlementswassetup.UnderthisnewsystemtheRecorderofSingaporebecamethefirstChiefJusticeoftheStraitsSettlements.In1873,theCourtofAppealwasestablished.In1907,theSupremeCourt（comprisingtheCourtofAppealandtheHighCourt）wasreorganisedandtheDistrictCourtssetup.In1934,theCourtofCriminalAppealwassetupasanextensionoftheSupremeCourt.

Itwasonlytowardsthe1930’sthataseparationofpowerswasintroducedbetweentheExecutive,theLegislatureandtheJudiciaryinSingapore.

1946–1963:

ASeparateColony

AfterWorldWarIIandthere-occupationbytheBritish,theStraitsSettlementswaseventuallydisbandedin1946.TheMalayanUnionwasthenformed.SingaporebecameaseparatecolonywithitsownLegislativeCouncilwhichenactedtheseriesofSingaporeActsandOrdinancesanditsownsystemofCourts.In1949,thefirstJuvenileCourtwassetupundertheauspicesoftheChildrenandYoungPersonsOrdinance.In1958,theBritishgovernmentagreedthatSingaporewouldhaveself-governmentandin1959,thePeople’sActionPartywasvotedintopower.

1963–1965:

MergerwithMalaysia

In1963,SingaporebecameamemberoftheFederationofMalaysiaandallsovereigntyandjurisdictionexercisedoverSingaporebytheUnitedKingdomwasrelinquished.Duringthebriefperiodofmerger,theSupremeCourtofSingaporebecametheHighCourtandtheSingaporeCourtofAppeal&

CourtofCriminalAppealweremergedintotheMalaysianFederalCourt.

1965onwards:

AnIndependentState

SingaporeseparatedfromMalaysiain1965,becomingasovereignandindependentstate.AnewSupremeCourtofJudicatureActwasenactedin1969thuscreatingSingapore'

sownSupremeCourt,comprisingtheCourtofAppeal,CourtofCriminalAppealandtheHighCourt.TheSubordinateCourtsActwasalsoenactedatthistime,puttinginplacetheDistrict,Magistrates,Coroners,JuvenileCourts.In1969,thejurysystemwasabolishedinSingapore,leavingallmattersbothcivilandcriminalinthehandsofthejudges.In1968,theSyariahCourtwasestablishedbyvirtueoftheAdministrationofMuslimLawActtodealwiththeapplicationofMuslimlawinSingapore.

2.RoleofCommonLaw&

StatutoryEnactment

TheCommonLawreferstotheunwrittenlaw（i.e.lawnotembodiedinacodeorstatute）andlegalcustomsofEnglandwhichhavebeenrecognisedandgiventheforceoflaw.ThecommonlawisfoundinthejudgmentsofJudgesindecidingcases.Asignificantportionofthecommonlawisalsobasedoncustom.ThisbodyoflawiscontinuouslygrowingandremainsapplicableinSingaporeowingtothecontinuousreceptionofEnglishlawinSingapore.

Equitywasdevelopedtoensurethattherewassomeformof“naturaljustice”orremedyforgrievanceswhichthecommonlawsuppliednoorinsufficientremedy,eg.theremediesofspecificperformanceandtheinjunction.Whilsttheadministrationofthecommonlawandtheprinciplesofequityarenowfused（i.e.separatecourtsarenolongernecessary）,thesubstantiverulesofeachrealmaredistinct.

Caselaworthepreviousdecisionsofthecourtsareimportantsourcesoflaw.Thecourtsapplythedoctrineofbindingprecedentsorstaredecisisinordertoregulatewhichdecisionsmaybedepartedfromandwhichdecisionsmustbefollowed.Asageneralrule,decisionsofhighercourtsbindthelowercourtsinthesamejurisdiction,whiledecisionsofforeigncourtsarepersuasivewheretheforeignlawisinparimateriawiththatofSingaporewiththelawsofSingapore.

StatuteLaworLegislationrepresentsthelawsenactedbyParliamentwhichareembodiedinacodeorstatute.Tobecomelaw,aBillmustpass3readingsinParliament,followedbythePresident'

sassentandpublicationintheGovernmentGazette.Therules,regulations,notificationsandotherinstrumentsissuedunderanAct,subordinatetothestatutesthemselvesarereferredtocollectivelyasSubsidiaryLegislation.Allsubsidiarylegislationmustbeconsistentwiththestatuteunderwhichitisissued.

3.ReceptionofEnglishLaw

ReceptionofEnglishlawinSingaporetookplaceon27November1826pursuanttotheSecondCharterofJustice.AllEnglishlaw（commonlaw,equityandstatutelaw）priorto27November1826wasthusreceivedinSingapore.However,allEnglishlawwouldbeappliedinSingaporesubjecttothelocalcircumstancesandlocalconditions.

On12November1993,theApplicationofEnglishLawAct（Cap.7A）wasenactedtodeclaretheextenttowhichEnglishlawisapplicableinSingapore.Section3oftheActprovidesthatthecommonlawofEnglandalreadyapartofSingaporelawshallcontinuetobepartofSingaporelaw,solongasitisapplicabletolocalcircumstancesanditsinhabitants,subjecttosuchmodificationsasmayberequired.Section4oftheActprovidesthatEnglishenactmentsaregenerallynotpartofSingaporelaw,exceptthosespecificallysetoutintheFirstSchedule（e.g.PartnershipAct,MisrepresentationAct,SaleofGoodsActandtheUnfairContractTermsAct）andanyotherEnglishenactmentswhichapplyorareinforceinSingaporebyvirtueofanywrittenlaw.

4.TheCourtsandtheirStructure

In1993,asingleCourtofAppeal（toreplacetheseparateCourtofAppealandCourtofCriminalAppeal）wascreatedtohearbothcivilandcriminalappeals.On8April1994,withthecomingintooperationoftheJudicialCommittee（Repeal）Act1994,Singapore’slinktothePrivyCouncilwasseveredastheavenueofappealtothePrivyCouncilwasabolished.TheCourtofAppealthusbecamethefinalappellatecourtintheSingaporelegalsystem.TheHighCourtexercisesbothappellateandoriginalcivilandcriminaljurisdiction.Together,theCourtofAppealandtheHighCourtconstitutetheSupremeCourt（www.supcourt.gov.sg）whichisregulatedbytheSupremeCourtofJudicatureAct（Cap.322）.

TheSubordinateCourtsofSingapore（www.subcourts.gov.sg）,whichexercisebothcivilandcriminaljurisdictionareregulatedbytheSubordinateCourtsAct（Cap.321）.TheSubordinateCourtsconsistoftheDistrictCourt（withciviljurisdictionallimitofS$250,000.00）andtheMagistrate’sCourt（withaciviljurisdictionallimitofS$60,000.00）.TheCoronersCourt[regulatedbytheCriminalProcedureCode（Cap.68）],theJuvenileCourt[（regulatedbytheChildrenandYoungPersonsAct（Cap.38）]andtheSmallClaimsTribunal[regulatedbytheSmallClaimsTribunalsAct（Cap.308）]arealsotribunalswhichcomeundertheumbrellaoftheSubordinateCourts.Inaddition,aFamilyCourthasalsobeensetup.AlthoughtheFamilyCourtisofficiallypartoftheHighCourt,thefunctionsarecarriedoutbytheSubordinateCourtjudges.

InSingapore,theSyariahCourtwassetupbyvirtueoftheAdministrationofMuslimLawAct（Cap.3）tomakeprovisionfortheregulationofMuslimreligiousaffairsandtoconstituteacouncil（theMajlis）toadviseonmattersrelatingtotheMuslimreligioninSingapore.

Otherformsofdisputeresolution（apartfromthelitigationprocess）arealsopractisedinSingapore.TheSingaporeInternationalArbitrationCentre（www.siac.org.sg）andtheSingaporeMediationCentre（.sg）havebeenhearingandresolvingmattersbetweenpartiesonamoreinformalbasisascomparedtothelitigationprocess.

5.Nuts&

BoltsofCivilProcedureandtheRulesofEvidence

Theorganisation,jurisdictionandpowersofthecivilcourtsaresetoutintheSupremeCourtofJudicatureAct（Cap.322）andtheSubordinateCourtsAct（Cap.321）.In1996,therulesofcivilprocedureforboththeSupremeandSubordinateCourtsweremergedandembodiedintheRulesofCourt1997.TheserulesarebasedontherulesofcivilpracticeinEngland.Severaltypesofproceedings,however,areregulatedbytheirownproceduralrulesandregulations.Theseincludebankruptcy,winding-upandmatr