Clause 166
Service of summons
(1)
A summons issued by the Commissioner under section 146, 149 or 153 of this Act may be served on any person by delivering or tendering to him a copy thereof signed by the Commissioner:Provided that —
if the person to be summoned has an agent empowered to accept service of the summons on his behalf, service on such agent shall be sufficient; or
if the person to be summoned cannot be found and has no agent empowered to accept service of the summons on his behalf, service on any adult male member, not being a servant, of the family of the person to be summoned who is residing with him shall be sufficient.
(2)
When such summons as aforesaid is addressed to a corporation, it may be served —
by leaving a copy thereof, signed by the Commissioner, at the registered office, if any, of the corporation; or
by sending such copy by post in a letter addressed to the corporation at its principal office, whether such office be situated within Singapore or elsewhere; or
by delivering such copy to any director, secretary or other principal officer of the corporation.
(3)
When the serving officer delivers or tenders a copy of the summons to the person to be summoned or to an agent or other person on his behalf, he shall require the signature of the person to whom the copy is so delivered or tendered to an acknowledgment of service endorsed on the original summons.
(4)
If —
such person refuses or is unable to sign the acknowledgment; or
the serving officer cannot find the person to be summoned and there is no agent empowered to accept service of the summons on his behalf nor any other person on whom the service can be made,the serving officer shall affix a copy of the summons on the outer door of the house in which the person to be summoned ordinarily resides and then return the original to the Commissioner with a return endorsed thereon or annexed thereto stating that he has so affixed the copy and the circumstances under which he did so.
(5)
The serving officer shall, in all cases in which the summons has been served under subsection (3) of this section, endorse or annex or cause to be endorsed or annexed, on or to the original summons, a return stating the time when and the manner in which the summons was served.
(6)
When a summons is returned under subsection (4) of this section, the Commissioner shall, if the return under that subsection has not been verified by the affidavit of the serving officer, and may, if it has been so verified, examine the serving officer on affirmation touching his proceedings and may make such further enquiry in the matter as he thinks fit and shall either declare that the summons has been duly served or order such service as he thinks fit.
(7)
When the Commissioner is satisfied that there is reason to believe that the person to be summoned is keeping out of the way for the purpose of avoiding service or that for any other reason the summons cannot be served in the ordinary way, the Commissioner may order the summons to be served by affixing a copy thereof in some conspicuous place in or near the office of the Commissioner and also upon some conspicuous part of the house, if any, in which the person to be summoned is known to have last resided, or in such other manner as the Commissioner thinks fit, or may order the substitution for service of notice by advertisement in the Gazette and in such newspaper or newspapers circulating in Singapore as the Commissioner may think fit.
(8)
The service substituted by order of the Commissioner shall be as effectual as if it has been made personally on the person to be summoned.
(9)
Whenever service is substituted by order of the Commissioner, the Commissioner shall fix such time for the appearance of the person to be summoned as the case may require.
(10)
Any order or notice in writing made or issued by the Commissioner or the Ministry of Health or a medical officer or other officer in the exercise of powers conferred by this Act may be served as if the same were a summons, and the provisions of this section, other than subsection (1) thereof, shall apply to the service of such order or notice.