Superior Courts Act, 2013 (Act No. 10 of 2013)Chapter 3 : Governance and administration of all courts9. Access to courts, recess periods and attendance at courts |
| (1) | All Superior Courts— |
| (a) | must be open to the public every business day; and |
| (b) | may perform the functions of the court on any Saturday, Sunday or public holiday as may be required from time to time. |
| (2) | Superior Courts may have such recess periods as may be determined by the Chief Justice in consultation with the heads of court and the Minister in order to enable judges to do research and to attend to outstanding or prospective judicial functions that may be assigned to them. |
| (3) | During each recess period, the head of each court must ensure that an adequate number of judges are available in that court to deal with any judicial functions that may be required, in the interests of justice, to be dealt with during that recess period. |
| (4) | Subject to subsections (1) and (2), the head of each Superior Court is responsible to— |
| (a) | ensure that sufficient judges of that court are available to conduct the business of the court at all times that the court is open for business; |
| (b) | issue directions to the judges of that court with respect to their attendance at the court and absences from the court during recess periods; |
| (c) | approve any extraordinary absence of a judge from the court; and |
| (d) | keep a register, in the prescribed manner and form, of vacation periods allocated to, or extraordinary absence approved for, a judge of that court. |