ENG-1961 — Page 239

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Law, Order and Records

THE COURTS OF JUSTICE

THE Courts in Hong Kong are the Full Court, the Supreme Court, the District Court, the Magistrates' Court, the Tenancy Tribunal and the Marine Court.

The Full Court, consisting of at least two Judges, hears appeals from the Supreme Court and the District Court and has jurisdiction corresponding roughly to that of the Court of Appeal and the Court of Criminal Appeal in England. Final appeals from Hong Kong go to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.

The Supreme Court tries criminal cases with a jury and has jurisdiction similar to that of the Queen's Bench and Chancery Divisions of the English High Court. It also exercises jurisdiction in Probate, Divorce, Admiralty, Lunacy, Bankruptcy and Company Winding Up. It has an appellate jurisdiction in which it hears appeals from the Magistrates and from the Marine Court. Towards the end of the year, legislation was passed whereby the civil jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the District Court was extended to the New Territories.

The District Court has a criminal jurisdiction limited to the imposition of penalties up to five years' imprisonment and civil jurisdiction in cases in which the subject matter involved does not exceed $5,000; but it also has an appellate jurisdiction in Stamp Appeals, Rating Appeals and Appeals from the Tenancy Tribunal. Trial in both criminal and civil proceedings in the District Court is by judge alone.

The Magistrates' Courts exercise a criminal jurisdiction similar to that of Magistrates in England. They also have a limited juris- diction in domestic matters.

Since the war many changes in the social and economic structure of the Colony, including the growth of new and heavily populated industrial centres and a greatly increased population generally,