Role and structure of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is headed by the Chief Justice, who is supported by the:

• Supreme Court Bench.
• Supreme Court Registry.
• Judiciary Administration and Operations.

The Supreme Court also includes the Singapore Judicial College, which serves the learning and development needs of judges and judicial officers.

The Supreme Court Bench

The Supreme Court Bench consists of the Chief Justice, Justices of the Court of Appeal, Judges of the Appellate Division, Judges of the High Court, Senior Judges, International Judges and Judicial Commissioners.

The Judges and Judicial Commissioners are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. Judicial Commissioners are appointed to facilitate the disposal of business in the Supreme Court. They have the powers of a judge and are appointed for a specific period determined by the President.

A person may be appointed a Judge or Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court if they are a "qualified person" based on the definition in Section 2 of the Legal Profession Act, or have been a member of the Singapore Legal Service for at least 10 years, or both.

View the list of judges on the Supreme Court bench.

View the list of international judges who hear cases in the SICC.

View the Judicial Code of Conduct  (PDF, 271 KB) for the Judges and Judicial Commissioners of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court Registry

The Supreme Court Registry comprises the Division for the Court of Appeal and the Appellate Division, the Division for the General Division of the High Court, and the Division for the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC).

The Registry is headed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court. The Registrar oversees the Registry’s management of the cases in the Supreme Court and is concurrently the Sheriff of the Supreme Court with responsibility over the execution of various writs and processes issued by the Supreme Court.

The Registrar is assisted by the Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars, Divisional Registrars, Deputy Divisional Registrars and Assistant Registrars (collectively, “registrars”). Registrars are appointed by the President, on the recommendation of the Chief Justice. They hold concurrent appointments as District Judges or Magistrates.

Registrars are empowered to exercise the authority and jurisdiction of a Judge sitting in chambers in the General Division of the High Court (except such authority and jurisdiction specifically required to be exercised by a Judge in person). They perform judicial roles in hearing, deciding and issuing judgments on a wide range of civil matters, including interlocutory applications (e.g., summary judgment, striking out, further and better particulars, discovery, interrogatories), bankruptcy applications, examination of judgment debtor, taxation, enforcement matters (e.g., issue of warrant of arrest and release of vessel, issue of writs of seizure and sale) and ex parte matters. Registrars also conduct and preside over trials on assessment of damages and taking of accounts.

Registrars also deal with certain criminal matters, such as Criminal Case Disclosure Conferences. Registrars who are concurrently District Judges or Magistrates, may in those capacities, conduct committal hearings under Division 2 of Part X of the Criminal Procedure Code as in force immediately before 17 September 2018.

Working in close partnership with the Supreme Court Bench, registrars ensure the smooth and expeditious resolution of Supreme Court cases and matters docketed to specialised lists  through active case management. To this end, registrars conduct Pre-Trial Conferences and Case Management Conferences for all Supreme Court matters, and also develop systemic enhancements in court procedures and processes through establishing best practices, bespoke guidelines and customised workflows.

Registrars support the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court Bench in advancing key strategic initiatives and judicial reforms to enhance the administration of justice. They are involved in innovative legislative reforms and reviews  customised to the rules, procedures and requirements for matters at all levels in the Supreme  Court. In view of their expertise and experience, registrars participate in and speak at international and local fora on the Singapore judicial system and issues relating to judicial policy and reform and specialised legal areas. They also contribute to the development of the law through editorship or authorship of academic publications and commentaries.  

In addition, the Registry also manages issues relating to the profession (e.g.,  the admission of Advocates and Solicitors, functions of the Disciplinary Tribunal Secretariat and the registration of foreign lawyers in the SICC), as well as superintending and advising on the work of the various sections in the Legal Directorate of the Supreme Court.

View the  list of registrars in the Supreme Court Registry .

Judiciary Administration and Operations

The Chief Executive (Office of the Chief Justice) oversees the administration and operations of the Supreme Court, ensuring the efficient running of the court and provision of effective services to court users.

The directorates include:

Judges and judicial officers in the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Bench

There are currently 29 Judges (including the Chief Justice, 4 Justices of the Court of Appeal and 3 Judges of the Appellate Division), 2 Judicial Commissioners and 5 Senior Judges on the Supreme Court Bench.

Chief Justice

Justices of the Court of Appeal

Judges of the Appellate Division

The Supreme Court Registry

Registrar 

Mr Tan Boon Heng

Deputy Registrar

Mr Phang Hsiao Chung

Senior Assistant Registrars

• Ms Ng Teng Teng, Cornie
• Mr Edwin San Ong Kyar
• Ms Chong Chin Chin
• Ms Cheng Pei Feng
• Mr Lee Yeow Wee, David

Divisional Registrars

Deputy Divisional Registrars

Assistant Registrars