Article 10 of the Saudi Board of Grievances Law
المادة 10 من نظام ديوان المظالم · الفصل الثاني: المحكمة الإدارية العليا
The article governs the Supreme Administrative Court's seat, composition, the naming of its president and members, its general assembly and quorum, and referral of departures from judicial principles to the general assembly.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1 - يكون مقر المحكمة الإدارية العليا مدينة الرياض، وتؤلف من رئيس وعدد كاف من القضاة بدرجة رئيس محكمة استئناف.
2 - يسمى رئيس المحكمة الإدارية العليا بأمر ملكي ، وتكون درجته بمرتبة وزير، ولا تنهى خدمته إلا بأمر ملكي. ويشترط أن تتوافر فيه الشروط المطلوبة لشغل درجة رئيس محكمة استئناف وعند غيابه ينوب عنه أقدم قضاتها. ويسمى أعضاء المحكمة الإدارية العليا بأمر ملكي ، بناء على اقتراح مجلس القضاء الإداري .
3 - يكون للمحكمة الإدارية العليا هيئة عامة برئاسة رئيس المحكمة، وعضوية جميع قضاتها، ويكون أقدم قضاتها نائبا له عند غيابه، وتنعقد الهيئة برئاسة الرئيس أو نائبه، ولا يكون انعقادها نظاميا إلا إذا حضره ثلثا أعضائها على الأقل بمن فيهم الرئيس أو من ينوب عنه، وتصدر قراراتها بأغلبية أعضائها.
4 - إذا رأت إحدى دوائر المحكمة الإدارية العليا ـ عند نظرها أحد الاعتراضات العدول عن مبدأ تقرر في حكم صادر منها أو من إحدى دوائر المحكمة ؛ تعين على الدائرة رفع الاعتراض إلى رئيس المحكمة، ليحيله إلى الهيئة العامة للمحكمة للفصل فيه.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 10 explained in plain English
This article gives detailed provisions on the Supreme Administrative Court, the court that hears objections to the judgments of the administrative appeal courts under Article 11.
- Seat and composition: Its seat is the city of Riyadh, and it consists of a president and a sufficient number of judges with the grade of president of an appeal court.
- President of the court: He is named by royal order, has the rank of minister, and his service ends only by royal order. He must meet the conditions required for the grade of president of an appeal court, and when he is absent the most senior of the court's judges acts for him.
- Members: The members of the court are named by royal order on the proposal of the Administrative Judiciary Council.
- General assembly: It is chaired by the president of the court and made up of all its judges, with the most senior judge as his deputy when he is absent. Its meeting is valid only if at least two thirds of its members attend, including the president or whoever acts for him, and its decisions are issued by a majority of its members.
Departing from judicial principles: If one of the court's circuits, while hearing an objection, considers departing from a principle established in an earlier judgment issued by it or by one of the court's circuits, it may not do so on its own. It must refer the objection to the president of the court, who refers it to the court's general assembly to decide. This provides a degree of stability in the principles the court establishes.
Article 9 explains that the circuits of the Supreme Administrative Court consist of three judges.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 10 of the Saudi Board of Grievances Law
Where is the seat of the Supreme Administrative Court?
Its seat is the city of Riyadh.
Who appoints the president of the Supreme Administrative Court?
He is named by royal order, has the rank of minister, and his service ends only by royal order.
What is the quorum of the general assembly of the Supreme Administrative Court?
Its meeting is valid only if at least two thirds of its members attend, including the president or whoever acts for him, and its decisions are issued by a majority of its members.
What happens if a circuit wants to depart from an earlier judicial principle?
It must refer the objection to the president of the court, who refers it to the general assembly to decide.
More articles on Supreme Administrative Court
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.