Open Court - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition open-court

Definition :

Open Court. Every Court of Justice is open to every subject of the King, Scott v. Scott, 1913 AC 417 (440). By statute the place where justices summarily convict is an open Court [(English) Summary Jurisdiction Act, 1848, s. 12], but not so the place where they commit a prisoner for trial at assizes or sessions (Indictable Offences Act, 1848, s. 19). Whether a coroner's court is an open Court is a matter of doub if it is not a Court of Justice; it is submitted that it is not [see Jervis on Coroners, citing Garnett v. Ferrand, (1827) 6 B&C 611]; the general rule is that all courts of justice are open to all so long as there is room see Scott v. Scott, ubi supra, where the whole question of hearing cases in camera is discussed. See also R. v. Gov. of Lewes Prison, (1917) 2 KB 254; and McPherson v. McPherson, 1936 AC 177.

Sessions Court holding trial within jail premises is an 'open court', Kehar Singh v. State (Delhi Admn.), AIR 1988 SC 1883: (1988) 3 SCC 609 (703, 711): (1988) Supp 2 SCR 24.

See CAMERA; JUVENILE COURTS.