Article 203 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
المادة 203 من نظام المرافعات الشرعية · الباب الحادي عشر: طرق الاعتراض على الأحكام
The article allows objection by appeal or cassation, as the case may be, to judgments on the merits issued on the basis of a petition by a court other than the Supreme Court.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
الأحكام التي تصدر في موضوع الدعوى من غير المحكمة العليا - بناءً على التماس إعادة النظر - يجوز الاعتراض عليها بطلب استئنافها أو بطلب نقضها بحسب الأحوال.
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 203 explained in plain English
After a petition for reconsideration is accepted and the court hears the case anew, a new judgment is issued on its merits. This article answers the question: can this new judgment be objected to?
The answer: yes, it may be objected to by a request for its appeal or a request for its cassation, as the case may be, on two conditions that emerge from the text:
- The judgment must have been issued on the merits of the case.
- It must have been issued by a court other than the Supreme Court.
The article does not detail when the route is appeal and when it is cassation, but simply says "as the case may be".
This article is linked to Article 202, which explains that when a petition is accepted, the court that issued the judgment is the one that hears the case. Article 204 then provides that a judgment on the merits issued after the petition is accepted may not be objected to by a petition for reconsideration, although any of the parties may petition again on grounds not previously considered.
What this means in practice: the new judgment after a petition is not immune from review, and the party harmed by it may take the route of appeal or cassation. To know the appropriate route in your case, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in litigation and court procedure.
Practical example
Yusuf's petition for reconsideration was accepted, and the court that issued the judgment heard the case anew and issued a new judgment on its merits. His opponent was not satisfied with the new judgment, and is entitled to object to it by a request for appeal or cassation, as the case may be.
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 203 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
Can the judgment issued after a petition is accepted be appealed?
Yes. Judgments on the merits issued on the basis of a petition by a court other than the Supreme Court may be objected to by appeal or cassation, as the case may be.
Can a petition for reconsideration be filed against the new judgment?
Under Article 204, a judgment on the merits issued after a petition is accepted may not be objected to by a petition for reconsideration, though a petition may be made again on grounds not previously considered.
More articles on Appeal, Cassation and Petition for Reconsideration
- Article 95
A judge's work or judgment is void in the situations of bar in Article 94 even if done by agreement of the parties; if the voidness occurs in an affirmed judgment, a party may ask the Supreme Court to set it aside.
يقع باطلًا عمل القاضي أو قضاؤه في الأحوال المتقدمة في المادة (الرابعة والتسعين) من هذا النظام ولو تم باتفاق الخصوم. وإن وقع هذا البطلان في حكم مؤيد جاز للخصم أن
- Article 165
The article requires the court, after pronouncing the judgment, to inform the litigants of the means of objection and their time limits, and to inform guardians, custodians, endowment administrators and representatives of government bodies that the judgment must be appealed or reviewed.
يجب على المحكمة - بعد النطق بالحكم - إفهام الخصوم بطرق الاعتراض المقررة ومواعيدها. كما يجب عليها إفهام الأولياء والأوصياء والنظار وممثلي الأجهزة الحكومية ونحوهم
- Article 170
The article allows the court to which an objection is submitted to order a stay of provisional enforcement if it considers that the grounds of the objection may lead to the judgment being quashed and serious harm is feared from enforcement.
يجوز للمحكمة المرفوع إليها الاعتراض - متى رأت أن أسباب الاعتراض على الحكم قد تقضي بنقضه - أن تأمر بوقف التنفيذ المعجل إذا كان يخشى منه وقوع ضرر جسيم.
- Article 172
The article distinguishes between a refusal to correct, which is objected to together with the judgment itself, and a correction decision, which may be objected to independently.
إذا رفضت المحكمة التصحيح فيكون الاعتراض على ذلك مع الاعتراض على الحكم نفسه. أما القرار الذي يصدر بالتصحيح فيجوز الاعتراض عليه على استقلال بطرق الاعتراض الجائزة.
- Article 176
The article specifies three means of objection to judgments: appeal, cassation and petition for reconsideration.
طرق الاعتراض على الأحكام هي الاستئناف، والنقض، والتماس إعادة النظر.
- Article 177
The article limits the right to object to a judgment to the party against whom it was given or one who was not awarded all his claims, unless the Law provides otherwise.
لا يجوز أن يعترض على الحكم إلا المحكوم عليه، أو من لم يقض له بكل طلباته، ما لم ينص النظام على غير ذلك.
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.