Bankruptcy Rules, 1952

JurisdictionUK Non-devolved
CitationSI 1952/2113

1952 No. 2113 (L. 14)

BANKRUPTCY, ENGLAND

The Bankruptcy Rules, 1952

5thDecember 1952

5thDecember 1952

1stJanuary 1953

ARRANGEMENT OF RULES

Part Rules
                 I. Preliminary … … … … … … … … … … … … 1– 7
                 II. General Procedure
                 Court and Chambers … … … … … … … … … … 8–11
                 Proceedings … … … … … … … … … … … … 12–30
                 Motions and Practice … … … … … … … … … 31–39
                 Preparation of Order … … … … … … … … … 40
                 Security in Court … … … … … … … … … … 41–48
                 Stamps … … … … … … … … … … … … … 49–50
                 Affidavits … … … … … … … … … … … … 51–61
                 Witnesses and Depositions … … … … … … … … 62–68
                 Shorthand Notes … … … … … … … … … … … 69–70
                 Discovery and Examination under section 25 … … … … 71–72
                 Accounts and Sale of Mortgaged Property … … … … … 73–76
                 Warrants, Arrests and Commitments … … … … … … 77–83
                 Service and Execution of Process … … … … … … 84–89
                 Trial by Jury … … … … … … … … … … … 90–91
                 Costs and Taxation … … … … … … … … … … 92–119
                 Rules relating to Business of High Court … … … … 120–124
                 County Court Sittings … … … … … … … … … 125–126
                 Appeals … … … … … … … … … … … … … 127–133
                III. Proceedings in Bankruptcy
                 Declarations of inability to pay debts … … … … … 134
                 Bankruptcy notice … … … … … … … … … … 135–142
                 Bankruptcy Petitions … … … … … … … … … 143–148
                 Creditor's Petition … … … … … … … … … … 149–152
                 Service of Creditor's Petition … … … … … … … 153–156
                 Interim Receiver … … … … … … … … … … 157–161
                 Hearing of Petition … … … … … … … … … … 162–173
                 Receiving Order … … … … … … … … … … … 174–185
                 Statement of Affairs … … … … … … … … … 186–187
                 Public Examination … … … … … … … … … … 188–196
                 Approval of Composition or Scheme … … … … … … 197–216
                 Adjudication … … … … … … … … … … … 217–224
                 Discharge … … … … … … … … … … … … 225–237
                 Acting as Director … … … … … … … … … … 238
                 Meeting of Creditors … … … … … … … … … 239–247
                 Proof of Debts … … … … … … … … … … … 248–262
                 Proxies and Voting Letters … … … … … … … … 263–266
                 Dividends … … … … … … … … … … … … 267–273
                 Appropriation of Pay, Salary, etc. … … … … … … 274–277
                 Disclaimer of Lease … … … … … … … … … … 278
                 Proceedings by or against Firm … … … … … … … 279–296
                 Persons of Unsound Mind … … … … … … … … … 297
                 Small Bankruptcies … … … … … … … … … … 298
                 Administration of Estates of Deceased Insolvents … … 299–307
                 IV. Official Receivers, Trustees, Special Managers, Gazetting
                 Registrars' Books and Returns, etc
                 Official Receivers … … … … … … … … … … 308–330
                 Trustees … … … … … … … … … … … … 331–352
                 Special Manager … … … … … … … … … … … 353–354
                 Security by Trustee or Special Manager … … … … … 355
                 Gazetting … … … … … … … … … … … … 356–358
                 Registrars' Registers and Returns … … … … … … 359–361
                 Accounts and Audits … … … … … … … … … … 362–373
                 Unclaimed Funds … … … … … … … … … … … 374–376
                 V. Judgment Debtors … … … … … … … … … … … 377–384
                 VI. Miscellaneous … … … … … … … … … … … 385–390
                Appendix I. Forms
                 II. Scale of Solicitors' Costs.
                 III. Scale of Allowances to Auctioneers and Brokers.
                

I, Gavin Turnbull, Baron Simonds, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, with the concurrence of the President of the Board of Trade and in exercise of the powers conferred upon me by section 107 (5) and section 132 of the Bankruptcy Act, 1914(a), and of all other powers enabling me in that behalf, hereby make the following Rules:—

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1. These Rules may be cited as the Bankruptcy Rules, 1952, and shall come into operation on the first day of January, 1953.

Revocation of previous Rules

2. Rule 358 of the Bankruptcy Rules, 1886(b), and, except as provided in the next following Rule, the Bankruptcy Rules, 1915(c), and all other Rules heretofore made under the Act are hereby revoked.

Application of Rules

3. These Rules shall, subject to the provisions of section 131 of the Act, apply to all matters arising under the Act or any previous Bankruptcy Act and to all proceedings taken in any such matter, whether commenced before or after the day on which these Rules come into operation:

Provided that, where it is not practicable to apply any of these Rules to any proceedings pending on that day, the appropriate Bankruptcy Rules in force immediately before that day shall continue to apply to the proceedings.

(a) 4 & 5 Geo. 5. c. 59.

(b) S.R. & O. Rev. 1903 1, "Bankruptcy E.", p. 76.

(c) S.R. & O. 1914/1824; 1914 I, p. 41.

Interpretation

4.—(1) In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires,—

"The Act" means the Bankruptcy Act, 1914;

"Appellate Court" includes any court exercising appellate jurisdiction under the Act or these Rules;

"The court" includes a Registrar when exercising the powers of the court;

"Creditor" includes a corporation, and a firm of creditors in partnership;

"Debtor" includes any debtor proceeded against under the Act, whether adjudged bankrupt or not, and also includes a firm of debtors in partnership;

"Judge of the High Court" means any one of the Judges to whom bankruptcy business is for the time being assigned under section 97 (2) of the Act;

"Printed" includes typewritten;

"Registrar" means a Registrar in bankruptcy of the High Court, or the Registrar or deputy Registrar of a county court having jurisdiction in bankruptcy;

"Scheme" means a scheme of arrangement pursuant to the Act;

"Sealed" means sealed with the seal of the court;

"Taxing Officer" means, as regards bills of costs taxed in the High Court, the Bankruptcy Taxing Master, or, as the case may be, the Principal Clerk of the Taxing Office of the High Court in Bankruptcy, and as regards bills of costs taxed in a county court, the Registrar of that county court;

"Bankruptcy Taxing Master" means a Master of the Taxing Office of the Supreme Court discharging the duties of Taxing Officer in pursuance of these Rules;

"Trustee" includes the trustee appointed under a composition or scheme and also includes an Official Receiver when acting as trustee.

(2) A form referred to by number means the form so numbered in Appendix I to these Rules.

(3) The Interpretation Act, 1889(a), shall apply to the interpretation of these Rules as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of Parliament.

Chief Bankruptcy Registrar of High Court

5. Any duty imposed upon the Registrar by Rules 19, 147, 177, 205, 221, 222, 233, 358 and 359 shall in the High Court be performed by the Chief Bankruptcy Registrar.

Computation of time

6.—(1) The provisions of section 145 of the Act shall apply to the computation of time under these Rules, and the expression in that section "a day on which the court does not sit" shall mean a day on which the offices of the court are closed.

(2) Where, by the Act or these Rules, the time limited for doing any act is less than six days, Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday, and the day following, Tuesday in Easter Week, Bank Holidays, any day appointed for public fast or thanksgiving, and any other day on which the offices of the court are closed shall be excluded in computing such time.

(a) 52 & 53 Vict. c. 63.

Use of forms in Appendix I

7.—(1) The forms in Appendix I, with such variations as circumstances may require, shall wherever applicable be used in proceedings under the Act.

(2) The Board of Trade may alter any forms which relate to matters of an administrative and not of a judicial character, or may substitute new forms in lieu thereof. Where the Board of Trade alter any form, or substitute any new form, the altered or substituted form shall be published in the London Gazette.

PART II

GENERAL PROCEDURE

COURT AND CHAMBERS

Matters to be heard in court

8.—(1) The following matters shall be heard and determined in open court—

(a) The public examination of debtors;

(b) Applications to approve a composition or scheme;

(c) Applications for orders of discharge, except any unopposed application which the court may direct to be heard in chambers and applications for certificates under section 26 (4) of the Act;

(d) Appeals from the Board of Trade to the High Court;

(e) Applications to set aside or avoid any settlement, conveyance, transfer, security, or payment, or to declare for or against the title of the trustee to any property adversely claimed;

(f) Applications for the committal of any person to prison for contempt;

(g) Appeals against the rejection of a proof, or applications to expunge or reduce a proof, where the amount in dispute exceeds £200;

(h) Applications for the trial of issues of fact with a jury, and the trial of such issues;

(j) Applications for leave to act as director or take part in the management of a company.

(2) Any other matter or application may be heard and determined in chambers.

Jurisdiction of Registrars

9. The Registrar may, under the general or special directions of the Judge, hear and determine any matter or application referred to in section 102 (2) of the Act.

Adjournment from Registrar to Judge

10. Any matter pending before a Registrar which under the Act or these Rules a Registrar has jurisdiction to determine shall, if the Judge, either specially or by any general direction applicable to the particular case, so directs, be adjourned to be heard before the Judge.

Adjournment from chambers to court and vice versa

11.—(1) Subject to the provisions of the Act and these Rules, any matter may at any time, if the Judge, or, as the case may be, the Registrar, thinks fit, be adjourned from chambers into court or from court to chambers.

(2) If all parties require any matter to be adjourned from chambers into court it shall be so adjourned.

PROCEEDINGS

Title of proceedings [Forms 1, 2]

12.—(1) Every proceeding in court under the Act shall be dated, and shall be intituled "In Bankruptcy", and all applications and orders made on applications shall be intituled ex parte the applicant.

(2) The first proceeding in every matter shall have a distinctive number assigned to it by the Registrar, and (subject to the provisions of Rule 26) all subsequent proceedings in the same matter shall bear the same number.

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