Section 206: Civil jurisdiction of magistrates

(1)Subject to this section and any other written law, the jurisdiction of magistrates presiding over magistrates courts for the trial and determination of causes and matters of a civil nature shall be as follows—

(1a)The Minister may, acting on the advice of the Chief Justice and with the approval of Parliament, by statutory instrument, alter the civil jurisdiction of magistrates prescribed under subsection (1)(a) and (b).

(2)Notwithstanding subsection (1), where the cause or matter of a civil nature is governed only by civil customary law, the jurisdiction of a chief magistrate and a magistrate shall be unlimited.

(3)Whenever for the purposes of jurisdiction or court fees it is necessary to estimate the value of the subject matter of a suit capable of a money valuation, the plaintiff shall in the plaint, subject to any rules of court, fix the amount at which he or she values the subject matter of the suit; but if the court thinks the relief sought is wrongly valued, the court shall fix the value and return the plaint for amendment.

(4)In any suit where it is impossible to estimate the subject matter at a money value in which, by reason of any finding or order of the court, a declaration of ownership of any money or property is made, no decree shall be issued for an amount on the claim exceeding the pecuniary limits of the ordinary jurisdiction of the court passing the decree.

(5)A magistrate’s court may grant any relief which it has power to grant under this Act or under any other written law and make such orders as may be provided for by this Act or any written law in respect of any case or matter before the court.