Registrar's Circular No. 4 2023

          Over the course of 2023, the Court of Appeal (the “CA”) and the Appellate Division of the High Court (the “AD”) introduced a pilot under which parties in selected civil appeals were required to insert hyperlinks for references made to any core bundle, record of appeal or bundle of authorities in the following documents (collectively described as “written Cases”):

(a) the Appellant’s Case;
(b) the Respondent’s Case; and
(c) the Appellant’s Reply.

2         The CA and the AD have decided to extend the pilot to the following types of appeals filed to the CA and the AD which are fixed for hearings in the sittings of the CA and the AD from January 2024 onwards:

(a) appeals filed under Order 19 of the Rules of Court 2021 where all parties are represented by solicitors; and

(b) appeals filed under Order 21 Rules 14(3) and 21 of the Singapore International Commercial Court Rules 2021 where all parties are represented by solicitors.

3         Unless otherwise directed by the CA or the AD, the hyperlinked written Cases are to be submitted to the Registry by no later than 4pm on the Monday three weeks before the start of the sitting period of the CA or the AD (as the case may be) within which the appeal is scheduled for hearing, regardless of the actual day (within that sitting period) on which the appeal is scheduled for hearing before the CA or the AD.

4         The hyperlinking requirement mentioned above will be made permanent on a date that is to be announced.

5         A guidance note setting out relevant information on the preparation and submission of the hyperlinked written Cases may be found at the SG Courts website at:
https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/docs/default-source/news-and-resources-docs/guidance-note-on-hyperlinking-with-annex.pdf?sfvrsn=fbe72786_2.

Please note that this guidance note may be updated from time to time.

Dated this 29^th day of September 2023.