The Kerala High Court Act, 1958 (No.5 of 1959)

39 
tHE KERALA l'BGH COURT_ACT, 1~58. 
Sections. 
(Act 5 of~l959) 
CONTENTS. 
1. Short title and commencement. 
2. Definition. 
3. Powers of Single Judge. 
4. Powers of a Bench of two Judges. 
5. Appeal from judgement or order of Single Judge. 
6. Cases to be heard by Full Bench under direction by 
Chief Justice. 
i. Procedure on reference to Full Bench. 
8. Powers of vacation Judge. 
9 Repeal. 
40 
ACT 5 OF 1959 * 
THE KERALA HIGH COURT ACT, 1958 
Au Act to make proviston regulotwg the busuu:ss and the cxerczse of lite 
powers of the Hzgh Court of the Stale of Kerala. 
P,camble-WHEREAS it is expedient to make provision regul· 
ating the business and the exercise of the powers of the High 
Court of the State of Kerala; 
BE it enacted in the Ninth Year of the Republic of Jndia as 
follows:-
!. Sholl tttlc aud ccmmmccmml:-(1) This Act may be called & I 
the Kerala High Court Act. 1958. 
(2) 1t shall come into force on such date as the Government 
may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint. 
2. De)t11tltou:-ln this Act, "High Court'' means the High Court 
of the State of Kerala. 
3. Powers of Smglc Judge:- The powers of the High Court in re· 
lation to the following matters may be exercised by a Single 
Judge, provided that the Judge before whom the matter is posted 
for hearing may adJourn it for being heard and determined by ~ 
a Bench of two Judges:-
(1) Determining in which of several courts having JUris- A__ 
diction a suit shall be heard. 
(2) Admission of an appeal w for m,l paupe' t·. 
(3) Exercise or original jurisdiction under any law for the 
time being in force. 
(4) Exercise of the powers under section 115 of the Code 
of Civil Procedure, 1908 and under section 22 of the Kerala Small 
Cause Courts Act, 195'7. 
(5) Any matter of an interlocutory character in appeals 
and other proceedings. 
(6) Admission of an appeal presented after the expiry of 
the period allowed by the law of limitation. 
('7) Admission of an appeal from the JUdgement or order of 
any criminal court. 
(8) Exercise of the power to revise the proceedings of any 
criminal court: 
• Rece1ved the assent of the President on 6th February, 1959 and published 
in the Gaz~:tte Extraordinary dated 14th February 1959. 
41 
Provided that in the exercise of s\.!ch power a Single jud!!;e 
shall not impose a sentence of death or imprisonment for hfe. 
(9) Exerci~e of the powers conferred by sections 426 and 
498 of the Code of Criminal Proc~dure, 1893. 
(10) Exercise of the powers under--
(i) section 24 of the Code of C1vil Procedure, 1908; 
(11) section 526 and sectivn 526A of the Code of Criminal 
Procedure, 1898; 
(iii) clau~e (1) of article 226 of the Constitution of India 
except where such power relates to the issue of a writ of the 
nature of habl'as co1 P:ts, and 
(iv) articles 227 and 228 of the Constitution of India 
(11) Exercise of the power under sub-section (2) of section 
19 of the Kerala Civil Courts Act, 1957. 
( 12) A report under section 438 of the Code of Criminal Pro­
cedure, 18~8 
(13) An appeal-
(a) from a JUdgement or order of a cnamnal court, except 
in cases in which the appellant or a person tried with him has 
been sentenced to death or imprisonment for life; 
Provided that in the exercise of such power a Single Judge 
shall not impose a sentence of death or imprisonment for life; 
(b) from an original decree or order, where the amount 
or value of the subject-matter of the suit does not exceed ten 
thousand rupees; 
(c) from an original decree when such appeal relates to 
costs only; 
(d) from an order under section 104 of the Code of Civil 
Procedure, 1908, except an an order of the kind mentioned in 
clause (h) of sub-section (1) of the said section or in clauses (c), 
(d) or (J) of Rule 1 of Order XLill of the First Schedule to the 
said Code; 
(e) from an appellate decree or order; 
(f) under section 79 (3) of the Insolvency Act, 1955; and 
(g) under section 476 B of the Code of Criminal Prose. 
dure, I8gs. 
4. Poucrs of a Be11clt oj two Judge~:-The powers of the High 
Court in relation to the following matters may be exercised by 
6 
. . 
42 
a l3ench of two Judges, provided that 1f both Judges agree that 
the decision involves a questiOn of law they may order that the 
matter or question of law be referred to a Full Bench:-
(1) Any maHer in respect of which the powers of '\he High 
Court can be exercised by a Single Judge. 
(2) An appeal-
(a) from a decree or order of a civil court, except those 
coming under section 3; 
(b) from the Judgement of a criminal court in which a 
sentence of death or imprisonment for life has been passed on 
the appellant or on a person tried with him. 
(3) A reference-
(a) under section 113 of the Code of Civil Procell ure, 
1908; 
(b) under section 307, section 374 or section 432 of the 
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898. 
(4) An application under Rule 2 of order XLV of the First 
Schedule to the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908. 
(5) An application for the exercise of the powers conferred 
by section 491 of the Code of Criminal,Procedure, 1898 or by clause 
(1) of article 226 of the Constitution of India where such power 
relates to the issue of a writ of the nature of lz1beas corpus. 
(6) An appeal from any original judgement, order or decree 
passed by a Single Judge. 
(7) All matters not expressly prov1ded for in this Act or in 
any other law for the time being in force. 
5. Appc,ll ftom Jlldf.!.emml 01 order of SmgleJmlgc:-An appeal 
shall lie to a Bench of two Judges from a Judgement or order of 
a Single Judge in the exercise of original jurisdiction. An appeal 
shall lie to a Bench of two Judges from a jud~eme1t of a Si.1gle 
Judge in the exercise of appellate JUrisdiction in respect of a 
decree or order made in thtl exercise of appellate jUrisdiction by 
a subordinate court, where the Judge who passed the jUdgement 
declares that the case is a fit one for appeal. 
6 Ca~es to bP. hcaul by Full 8w(:fz tmder dtucltoll '"' C!wf J usllce;­
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the Chief 
Justice may direct that any matter be heard by a Full Bench. 
) 
43 
7. Procedwe 011 rc/rre11ce lo Full n~n·c!J:-When a question of law 
is referred to a Full Bench, the Full Rench, may finally decide 
the case or rerurn it which an expression of its opinion upon the 
question referred for final adjudication by the Rench which re­
ferred the question or, in the absence of either or both of there­
ferring Jndges, by another Bench. 
8 Pvw::rs of Vacalto 1 Jud~ .-(1) During the adJournment of 
the High Court the Chief Justice shall nominate a Single Judge 
of the High Court for the hearing of all matters which require 
to be immediately or promptly dealt with and such Judge shall 
have all the powers of the High Court, except in cases in which 
such power mu'>t be exercised under the provisions of any law 
by more than one Judge. 
(2) lt shall be competent for the Chief Justice during any 
such adjournment of the High Court to constitute a Bench of two 
Judges or a Full Bench for the hearing of any case. 
9. Repcal.-The provisions of the Travancore-Cochin High 
Court Act, 1125, (V of 1125), in so far as they relate to matters 
provided in this Act, shall stand repealed 

‹ Prev All Kerala acts Next ›