20011210 TZHC Dar es Salaam

.. . . XN '.fi!E InQJi COURT ot T/JllZ.:1.NIJi. (DAR H::i .SALAAM DISIJ.1.!JICT l~~GIH'I'RY) CIVIL Ct\PPE.f.L NO_. ·123 OF 1999 11.!~~'Hl.D ICihMIS & 10 OTHEIW o APP:8Llu\NT2 Versus THE REJGISl'Ei\F.:D TRUH'l'l!EH 1U\1I) Ml\.Nii.GUJG COMMITTli.:r~ OF MASJj"ID e O D • 0 C Q j li. D·G ME N.T --~~~·---..._.._..._..,_...-....... In the Resident Magistrate Court of Dar es Salaam sitti:ng at Kisutu .!J:l~~.!:_€:!.E;_d__~st~!?.2.~t1'~.J.:ifl-t'2.~..:?f Jjy~11a~~~½. -tereinaftcr . . .. ··: referred . . to c:s the I1espondc~t) .. fiicd a suit against _.r:. ~hi,d_.l9¥3J.ik. 9A1.JQ_.~Q.tl:}.~.E (hGroin after referred to ·as the Appdl,.::i:1tsJ,! for .a perpetua.l order that they bo declared rightful orgaii to __ru.'11 . . the affairs of the r.iosque. The appellants are said to have· :i.iivaded tho running of the affairs of tho mosque. The appellants appears. to have not'. f1.led: . . . : ·tr, ~iri. tte'n statement of . defence. Judgment in default ~:as ehtrsred against the -epp0llants. The. ~. . . . .-,. ttJt tl1 ·: · ·~ : · t. appellants were agg:h.eved , tmt judti?nent, they thus filed this app~cil'- the appellants also_ ap:pliod for stay ~f ~ And after filing th~s a}:ip~.::il• execution in this cburt• where M:;1nento, J. gr.3nted the. order of'. stayl I As usual both learned counsei 1wrnely M1•~' I~yahgafika and Hr. Tasiirrn J:'or the appelient t-il'ld :r.eopondents :tespectiveiy arghed their cases with force. But I will not., fismissed their arguments for th<➔ fellowing reasons. This case was na~i,lnbd to Hri M,,-ankerija l. SDM wliile the s,3_1,1e was filed in the ReGidont M.-1gistra_te com~t registry. T'1,e question is whether the court was duly constituted? If the answer is in the positive is it proper for the issue of jurisdiction to be raised at thh: stage'? f:~·; ·,:,· ••••• /2 1~ I 2 • Section 6 (1) (c) of the H3gistrnte Courts' Act, 1934 is very clear. The section 1~eads: 6 (1) Subject to the provisions of section 7, a Magistrates' court ahall.be duly constituted v(hen held by a single m.,,gistrnte, be:i.ng - (\a) NIA (b) NIA (c) in the case of r, court of resident ITk-:igistrate, a resident rragistrate. Time and a2-:ain this court and the Court of l~ppeal of Tanzania have been reminding subordinate courts that if a c~se is designated for a particular court then it should be heard oniy by a member of that court notwithstanding that ci member of some other court h-:is substanti vc j jurisdiction over it and could hear the ~se. And lack of jurisdiction in the presiding magistrate is a fundamental defect that is not curable -,t all. (See ~J,.ian[~_j~}1,a_l¾,Y~a}l~<?-otJ~e~r-~,_v ._g IJ99jJ :m~ 8~; ~~ol,m ;'~•ico+E...l.!...!9~<L~~ C,99rj/ Tl_IiJl• ..._, N,·' ' • From the above, it is crysbl clear thcit the court bad· no jurisdiction. Having answered in the positive, the next question is whether it is .prop~r. t'.o raise j;hc i:ssue at this Umt-,. Since jurisdiction l the root of ju.Bt i-c~ I am ;-of the settled f.j:,oes to mind that the issue could be raised at any stage and at any court whether at the trial cburt or a:ppeilate cburt. And above all it is not subject to time lirfd.t, From the above therefore the proceedings are hereby declared a. '~llity-, The case to start afresh before a competent m:igistrate. As the issue wa.s neither raised by a 1Erty to the case, I award no costs. Order a.ccordingly. • .... /3 3 i ~ Judgment read over in the presence of Yu-. Nyanearika for the Re~monddnt -i:- I a.nd holding brief of l"u-e Taslima , for the Applicant__;.