Bankruptcy Rules, 1952
Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
Citation | SI 1952/2113 |
1952 No. 2113 (L. 14)
BANKRUPTCY, ENGLAND
The Bankruptcy Rules, 19525thDecember 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.
Proceedings to be...
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