Singapore legislation
Section 16J
Section 16J
Transfer of Part 3 proceedings
(1)
A District Court (other than the Protection from Harassment Court) may, on the application of any party or on the District Court’s own initiative, order that any Part 3 proceedings or related civil proceedings (or both) pending in the District Court or a Magistrate’s Court be transferred to the Protection from Harassment Court, if there is sufficient reason to do so.
(2)
A Family Court may, on the application of any party or on the Family Court’s own initiative, order that any Part 3 proceedings pending in the Family Court be transferred to the Protection from Harassment Court, if there is sufficient reason to do so.
(3)
A Protection from Harassment Court may, on the application of any party or on the Court’s initiative, if it is just, expeditious and economical for the disposal of the Part 3 proceedings, transfer —
any claim under section 11 that is pending in the Protection from Harassment Court to a Magistrate’s Court in which any related civil proceeding is pending;
any Part 3 proceedings that are pending in the Protection from Harassment Court to a District Court in which any related civil proceeding is pending; or
any Part 3 proceedings (except any claim under section 11) that are pending in the Protection from Harassment Court to a Family Court in which any related family proceeding is pending.
(4)
A Protection from Harassment Court may, on the application of any party or on the Court’s initiative, transfer any civil proceedings (other than Part 3 proceedings) that are pending in the Protection from Harassment Court to a Magistrate’s Court or a District Court, if there is sufficient reason to do so.
(5)
Civil proceedings may, under this section, be commenced in or transferred to a court only if the civil proceedings are within the civil jurisdiction of that court.
(6)
In this section —
“family proceedings” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Family Justice Act 2014; and
proceedings are related to Part 3 proceedings if —
both of those proceedings involve any common issue of law or fact; or
the rights to relief claimed in both of those proceedings are in respect of the same conduct or course of conduct.
(7)
Sections 54A and 54D of the State Courts Act 1970 do not apply to the transfer of any Part 3 proceedings.
(8)
This section does not affect any power of the General Division of the High Court to transfer proceedings to itself or to any other court under section 54B or 54C of the State Courts Act 1970 or any other law.