Apply for a special direction

What is a special direction

You may consider applying for a special direction if another party fails to comply with a Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT) order made against them.

A special direction is a direction by the CDRT to a party to comply with the order that has been made against them within a specified time. If the party fails to comply with the special direction without a reasonable excuse, they will be guilty of an offence and may be liable on conviction to a fine or imprisonment.

Before you apply

Before you apply, you should consider:

• Whether the other party has failed to comply with the terms of the CDRT order made against them.
  • If you think they failed to comply with the CDRT order, you will need to prepare evidence to support your case.
• Whether to apply for a third party to enter into a compliance bond to ensure that the defaulting party complies with the special direction.

Key facts

Refer to the following to find out about applying for a special direction.

If you are applying for a special direction, you are the applicant.

The other party is the respondent.

What you will need

You should prepare the following before you apply:

• A copy of the order that was not complied with.
• The sequence of incidents in chronological order.
  • You will need to provide the date, time and details of each incident where the respondent did not comply with the CDRT order in CJTS.
  • You may refer to the sample information for filing guide (PDF, 315 KB) for instructions.
• A soft copy of the evidence to be provided in support of your application in PDF format.
  • You will need to upload evidence to prove each incident mentioned via CJTS. Refer to Prepare evidence for a neighbour dispute claim for instructions on filing evidence.
• A soft copy of other supporting documents in PDF format.
  • All supporting documents submitted must be in the English language. Otherwise, a certified translation for the documents must be provided.

How to file and serve

You will need to follow these steps to apply for a special direction.

After you file

If the respondent does not agree to your Application for Special Direction, the respondent may file a Reply with supporting evidence in CJTS and serve a copy on you within 14 days after being served with the application.

Both you and the respondent must attend the PTC on the date and time specified in the Notice of PTC. If both parties are unable to settle their dispute at the PTC, the court may schedule a date for a hearing for the case.

The court will decide on whether to make a special direction at the hearing. If a special direction is made, the court may direct that you serve a copy of the special direction on the respondent.

You will need to bring along the following documents for your PTC or hearing:

• Your personal identification documents
  • (For Singapore citizens or permanent residents) National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) or passport.
  • (For foreign citizens) Passport and employment pass.
• A set of the documents uploaded onto CJTS.
  • The Notice of Pre-trial or Case Conference.
  • The Notice of Hearing (if applicable).
  • (For the plaintiff (for matters commenced before 1 April 2022) or claimant (for matters commenced on or after 1 April 2022)) The Application for Special Direction and all supporting evidence.
  • (For the respondent) The reply and all supporting evidence.

If the respondent does not comply

If the respondent does not comply with the special direction, you may take any of the following actions under the Community Disputes Resolution Act (CDRA):

• File a Magistrate’s Complaint to privately prosecute them for breach of the special direction.
• Start contempt of court proceedings against them.
• Apply for an exclusion order against them.

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