Article 71 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
المادة 71 من نظام المرافعات الشرعية · الباب الخامس: إجراءات الجلسات ونظامها
The court clerk, under the judge's supervision, records the pleadings in the record with specified details; the judge, the clerk and those named in it sign, and any refusal to sign is noted.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يدوّن كاتب الضبط - تحت إشراف القاضي - وقائع المرافعة في الضبط، ويذكر تاريخ افتتاح كل مرافعة ووقته، ووقت اختتامها، ومستند نظر الدعوى، واسم القاضي، وأسماء الخصوم ووكلائهم، ثم يوقع عليه القاضي وكاتب الضبط ومن ذكرت أسماؤهم فيه، فإن امتنع أحد منهم عن التوقيع أثبت القاضي ذلك في ضبط الجلسة.
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 71 explained in plain English
This article regulates the "record" (dabt), the register in which the proceedings of the pleadings are written down during the session.
Who records it? The court clerk, under the judge's supervision.
What details must be stated?
- The events of the pleadings.
- The date and time each pleading opens, and the time it closes.
- The basis on which the case is heard.
- The name of the judge.
- The names of the parties and their agents.
Who signs? The judge, the clerk and those named in it.
If one of them refuses to sign: the judge notes that refusal in the session record, so the record is not held up because someone refuses to sign.
The record matters because it preserves what took place in the session, including any admission or settlement the parties ask to have recorded under Article 70. Article 72 also allows case records to be kept electronically, with the same effect as written documents under the Electronic Transactions Law.
A party should therefore check what has been recorded about him in the record before signing.
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 71 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
Who writes the session record?
The court clerk records it under the judge's supervision.
What happens if I refuse to sign the record?
The judge notes your refusal to sign in the session record.
Who signs the record?
The judge, the clerk and those named in it, such as the parties and their agents.
More articles on Hearing Procedures
- Article 6
Article 6 requires a clerk to attend with the judge at hearings and in all case procedures to draft the record and sign it with him, and lets the judge do so himself if the clerk cannot attend.
يجب أن يحضر مع القاضي في الجلسات وفي جميـع إجراءات الدعوى كاتب يحرر محضر الجلسة ويوقعه مع القاضي، وإذا تعذرحضور الكاتب فللقاضي تولي الإجراء وتحرير المحضر.
- Article 23
The article makes Arabic the official language of the courts, requires hearing non-Arabic speakers through an interpreter, and requires an approved translation from a licensed office for foreign-language papers.
اللغة العربية هي اللغة الرسمية للمحاكم؛ وتسمع المحكمة أقوال الخصوم والشهود ونحوهم من غير الناطقين باللغة العربية عن طريق مترجم، وتقدم ترجمة معتمدة من مكتب مرخص
- Article 48
If the court has set a hearing for two litigants and they appear at a time other than the one set and ask for their dispute to be heard, the court must grant their request if possible.
إذا عينت المحكمة جلسة لشخصين متداعيين، ثم حضرا في غير الوقت المعين وطلبا النظر في خصومتهما، فعليها أن تجيب هذا الطلب إن أمكن.
- Article 53
If it appears to the court that the agent asks for extensions too often on the pretext of consulting his principal in order to stall, it may require the principal himself or another agent.
إذا ظهر للمحكمة من أحد الوكلاء كثرة الاستمهالات بحجة سؤال موكله بقصد المماطلة، فلها حق طلب الموكل بنفسه لإتمام المرافعة أو توكيل وكيل آخر.
- Article 59
Someone who attends thirty minutes before the set end of the hearing is not considered absent if the hearing has not convened, and someone who attends while the hearing is still in session is considered present.
في تطبيق الأحكام السابقة، لا يعد غائبًا- والجلسة لم تنعقد- من حضر قبل الموعد المحدد لانتهاء الجلسة بثلاثين دقيقة، على أنه إذا حضر والجلسة لا زالت منعقدة فيعد حا
- Article 61
The number of judges required by law must attend the pleading hearings; if short, the court president assigns someone to complete it, and if that is not possible the president of the Supreme Judicial Council does.
يجب أن يحضر جلسات المرافعة في القضية العدد اللازم نظامًا من القضاة، فإن لم يتوافر العدد اللازم فيكلف رئيس المحكمة أحد قضاتها لإكمال النصاب، فإن تعذر ذلك فيكلف ر
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.