Damascus, Oct. 4 (SANA) Syria’s Justice Ministry has issued a decision regulating mobile courts to bring judicial and documentation services closer to residents of remote and hard-to-reach areas and reduce the burden of travelling to court.
The decision sets out the framework for mobile courts, which will provide judicial, guardianship and documentation services that can legally be conducted outside the premises of the parent court.
The ministry said the measure is intended to speed up procedures, improve the efficiency of judicial services and support the use of electronic and digital systems in court work.
Mobile courts to serve remote areas
Under the decision, a mobile court will operate as a judicial unit affiliated with an existing legally established court and will carry out specified functions within the parent court’s territorial jurisdiction.
The ministry said the system is intended to ensure continued access to judicial services in areas where geographic, social or emergency conditions make access to permanent court facilities difficult.
Mobile courts will not have separate legal personality or administrative or judicial independence and will not constitute independent courts or create a new level of litigation.
They will operate in the name and on behalf of the parent court, while existing rules governing subject-matter, territorial and functional jurisdiction will remain unchanged.
Deployment based on local needs
The decision says the Justice Ministry will take several factors into account when determining where mobile courts operate and the scope of their work.
These include population size, distance from the parent court, available transport, demand for judicial services, social and geographic conditions, emergency circumstances and the availability of administrative and technical requirements.
Mobile courts will be limited to the powers specified in their allocation decisions. Matters outside their jurisdiction will be referred to the competent court in accordance with applicable law, with measures taken to protect the rights of those concerned.
Digital services part of broader reform
The decision follows a wider push by the Justice Ministry to modernize judicial procedures and reduce administrative delays.
In May, the ministry issued a circular adopting electronic notification as an official means of service, saying it would improve speed and reliability and reduce delays in litigation.
Electronic notification carries the same legal effect as traditional methods of service, according to the ministry.
The introduction of mobile courts, combined with greater use of electronic procedures, is aimed at making judicial services more accessible while maintaining existing court structures and jurisdictional rules.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.