Practice-Native Administration
Ordinance-Power of Provincial
Commissioner to transfer to
Divisional Court.
Under section 71 of the Native
Administration Ordinance (Cap.
Ill) a Provincial Commissioner
had transferred a case to a
Divisional Court. The Court
held that under the
circumstances the transfer was
unreasonable and refused to
hear the case.
On appeal, it was held that
once a Provincial Commissioner
has exercised his discretion
by transferring a case, it is
not open to the Divisional
Court to consider the
reasonableness of his action.
The following judgment was
delivered in the Court below
:YATES, ].
In this case, which has been
transferred by the Provincial
Commissioner of the Central
Province to this Court by
virtue of section 71 of the
Native Administration
Ordinance ~o. 18 of 1927. Mr.
Benjamin on behalf of the
Plaintiff moved that the Order
made by the Provincial
Commissioner be sent back to
him for review under section 7
of the District Commissioners'
Ordinance. I am satisfied that
the District Commissioners'
Ordinance does not apply.
There is however another
aspect of the case to be
considered and that is, has
the Divisional Court any
jurisdiction in this matter as
it stands? Section 71 of the
Native Administration
Ordinance gives power to the
Provincial Commissioner to
transfer any civil cause or
matter or question commenced
before a Native Tribunal to
the Divisional Court under
certain circumstances which
are set out in sub-section " C
" of the same section.
The meaning of section 71 is,
in my view, that if there is
no available Tribunal, or if
the case is one which cannot
be tried by the Police
Magistrate or District
Commissioner, then the
Provincial Commissioner may
confer jurisdiction upon the
Divisional Court to hear and
determine the matter, and I
rule that it is a condition
precedent to the Order being
made that it be shewn, that
there is no Court or Tribunal
which can properly enquire
into, try or determine the
matter, and that unless the
Order of Transfer shows this
by its terms, no jurisdiction
is conferred upon the
Divisional Court. In this
particular case, moreover, the
Affidavit of the Defendant
Nyika clearly shews that the
matter could be tried by the
Provincial Council. That being
so the matter should have been
transferred to it under
section 7lA.
I therefore further rule, by
virtue of the proviso to
section 72, that the Order of
Transfer made in this case has
not been made in accordance
with the provisions of section
71 of the Native
Rojo Etsia v. Kwa Amissah
& ano.
Administration Ordinance, and
that this Court has therefore no
jurisdiction to try this case.
J. B. Hyde
and
K. A. Korsah
for the Defendant-Appellant.
C.
F. H. Benjamin
for the Plaintiff-Respondent.
The following judgment of the
Court was delivered by the
President Deane, c.]., and
concurred in by Michelin and
SawreyCookson, ].
DEANE, C .J. THE GOLD COAST
COLONY.
This is a case transferred by
the Provincial Commissioner to
the Divisional Court for hearing
under section 71 of the Native
Administration Ordinance. The
learned Judge when the case came
before him ruled that the
Provincial Commissioner could
not refer a matter to the
Divisional Court unless there
was no Native Tribunal which had
jurisdiction to hear the matter.
I cannot agree with him. Section
71
(c)
it seems to me gives a very
large power to the Provincial
Commissioner to transfer any
case from a Native Tribunal to a
Divisional Court. When there is
a competent Native Tribunal he
has the power to transfer and
that power is exercised daily
and indeed is not questioned. If
therefore we were to accede to
this contention it would mean
that we would curtail the power
of the Provincial Commissioner
to transfer merely because there
might possibly be another Native
Tribunal which might have
jurisdiction over the case, and
thus make the Provincial
Commissioner's action a subject
of enquiry as to its
reasonableness on· every
occasion. In my opinion the
Provincial Commissioner having
transferred the case under
section 71 of the Native
Administration Ordinance the
Divisional Court was bound to
enquire into it under section 72
of the same Ordinance and the
reasonableness of the order of
transfer before the Court was
not open to question.
Appeal allowed with costs £16
16s. and case remitted to the
lower Court to be heard and
determined.
Practice-Native
Administration Ordinance-Power
of Provincial Commissioner to
transfer to Divisional Court.
Under section 71 of the Native
Administration Ordinance (Cap.
Ill) a Provincial Commissioner
had transferred a case to a
Divisionai Court. The Court held
that under the circumstances the
transfer was unreasonable and
refused to hear the case.
On appeal, it was held that once
a Provincial Commissioner has
exercised his discretion by
transferring a case, it is not
open to the Divisional Court to
consider the reasonableness of
his action.
The following judgment was
delivered in the Court below
:YATES, ].
In this case, which has been
transferred by the Provincial
Commissioner of the Central
Province to this Court by virtue
of section 71 of the Native
Administration Ordinance ~o. 18
of 1927. Mr. Benjamin on behalf
of the Plaintiff moved that the
Order made by the Provincial
Commissioner be sent back to him
for review under section 7 of
the District Commissioners'
Ordinance. I am satisfied that
the District Commissioners'
Ordinance does not apply. There
is however another aspect of the
case to be considered and that
is, has the Divisional Court any
jurisdiction in this matter as
it stands? Section 71 of the
Native Administration Ordinance
gives power to the Provincial
Commissioner to transfer any
civil cause or matter or
question commenced before a
Native Tribunal to the
Divisional Court under certain
circumstances which are set out
in sub-section " C " of the same
section.
The meaning of section 71 is, in
my view, that if there is no
available Tribunal, or if the
case is one which cannot be
tried by the Police Magistrate
or District Commissioner, then
the Provincial Commissioner may
confer jurisdiction upon the
Divisional Court to hear and
determine the matter, and I rule
that it is a condition precedent
to the Order being made that it
be shewn, that there is no Court
or Tribunal which can properly
enquire into, try or determine
the matter, and that unless the
Order of Transfer shows this by
its terms, no jurisdiction is
conferred upon the Divisional
Court. In this particular case,
moreover, the Affidavit of the
Defendant Nyika clearly shews
that the matter could be tried
by the Provincial Council. That
being so the matter should have
been transferred to it under
section 7lA.
I therefore further rule, by
virtue of the proviso to section
72, that the Order of Transfer
made in this case has not been
made in accordance with the
provisions of section 71 of the
Native
Rojo Etsia v. Kwa Amissah
& ano.
Administration Ordinance, and
that this Court has therefore no
jurisdiction to try this case.