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SUPREME COURT
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Court Processes

District Court Appeals (DCA)

1.	Where should I file a District Court Appeal (DCA)? A DCA and all supporting documents to commence a DCA are to be filed at the State Courts. Once the DCA is accepted for filing, a copy will have to be served on the respondent.
2.	What happens after the filing of a DCA? The Registry will notify the appellant that the record of proceedings is available for collection upon payment. Within 1 month of such notification, the appellant will be required to file and serve a Record of Appeal and the Appellant’s Case, otherwise the DCA will be deemed withdrawn. The respondent will file the Respondent’s Case within 1 month after service on him of the Record of Appeal and the Appellant’s Case. The case and all related documents will be transferred to the High Court for the fixing of a hearing before a Judge or Judicial Commissioner of the High Court.
3.	What is the usual duration for a DCA hearing? Prior to the hearing, a notice will be sent to each party requesting for an estimate of how much time it is likely to require to argue its case. Usually, a DCA hearing takes about two to three hours.
4.	If a longer duration of hearing is required, is it possible to request for more time? If parties have reason to ask for a longer hearing duration to be allocated, they may file a Request for Refixing/Vacation of Hearing Dates and state the reason for their request. If the Request is acceded to, a new hearing date and time will be notified to parties.
5.	If parties are not able to attend the hearing on the date assigned to them, what can they do? They may file a Request for Refixing/Vacation of Hearing Dates explaining why they are unable to attend the hearing on the assigned date and ask for an alternative hearing date. The consent of all parties to the hearing should be obtained for the change so that the Court may consider the request favourably. If the Request is acceded to, a new hearing date and time will be notified to parties.
6.	Must all parties agree to a change of the assigned hearing date? The consent of all parties to the hearing should be obtained for the change so that the Court may consider the request favourably.
7.	Must parties be represented in a DCA? Parties in a DCA may either choose to appoint lawyers to represent them or they may choose to represent themselves. Parties who intend to represent themselves should, however, be aware that legal knowledge is required to understand the legal terms and court processes, especially when it comes to filing and preparing court documents.
8.	Where can parties find out when their DCA hearing is scheduled to take place? DCA hearing information can be found in the Weekly Law Notice, which is available on the Supreme Court’s website at www.supremecourt.gov.sg.
9.	Can parties get copies of the Judge's hearing notes? If so, how do parties get copies? To obtain a copy of the Judge’s hearing notes, please file a Request for Certified Transcripts / Notes of Evidence / Grounds of Decision via Elitigation. You will be notified of collection when the Certified Transcript is ready and upon payment.
10.	Can parties appeal against the Judge's decision in a DCA? In general, an appeal can only be filed against the Judge’s decision in a DCA if the Judge gives leave to appeal. The appeal will then be registered as a Civil Appeal that will be heard by the Court of Appeal.
11.	Are DCAs heard in Chambers or in Open Court? At what time are DCAs normally scheduled to be heard? DCAs are heard in Open Court, and commence at either 10.00am in the morning or 2.30pm in the afternoon.

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