Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia

The Supreme Court in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a court specialized in receiving complaints against courts that have issued contested rulings. The court is at the top of the pyramid of judicial organization in Saudi Arabia and is based in the capital Riyadh.

Objectives of the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia

The Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia works to achieve several goals, including: Drawing the attention of the organizer to the shortcomings of existing laws to safeguard the sanctity of the public interest of society and guarantee the rights and freedoms of individuals, in addition to monitoring the proper application of the provisions of the Islamic Sharia and the regulations issued by the ruler in cases that fall within the jurisdiction of the general judiciary.

Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia

The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia includes several cases, including:

- Reviewing hudud cases.

- Supervision of the rulings issued by the courts of appeal regarding: Violating the provisions of the Islamic Sharia and the regulations issued by the ruler that do not contradict them, issuing a verdict from a court that is not properly constituted as stipulated by law, issuing a verdict from a court or department that is not competent, and mischaracterizing or improperly describing the incident.

- Hearing requests to resume the litigation after the case has been dismissed for the second time due to the plaintiff's absence from the sessions and failure to present an excuse acceptable to the court hearing the case.

- Adjudicating requests for reconsideration of the court's rulings.

Powers of the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia

The powers of the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia include the trial of the verdict from the point of view of the correct application and interpretation of legal and statutory rules and the procedures followed in the trial, and it does not interfere in the portrayal of facts or the evaluation of evidence. Its powers also include calling for the sighting of the Hijri months, especially the months of Ramadan, Shawwal and Dhu al-Hijjah, and proving their entry.

The Supreme Court acts as a trial court in hudud cases. Hudud cases are considered in terms of the facts and the legal and statutory rules applied in Saudi Arabia in front of three degrees, and litigation in these cases is in three degrees and not two degrees as in other systems.

Formation of the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia

The Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia consists of a president who is appointed by Royal Decree with the rank of minister and whose service can only be terminated by Royal Decree. He must meet the conditions required to hold the rank of president of a court of appeal. The court also consists of a sufficient number of judges with the rank of president of a court of appeal. The members shall be appointed by Royal Decree based on the proposal of the Supreme Judicial Council. They must meet the conditions required to hold the rank of President of the Court of Appeals.

General Assembly – Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia

The judicial system created a general body in the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia that convenes under the chairmanship of the president of the court and the membership of all its judges, to determine general principles in matters related to the judiciary, and to consider matters that are stipulated by the regulations for consideration by the general body. The meeting of this body shall not be regular unless at least two-thirds of its members are present, including the president or his representative, who shall be the most senior of the Supreme Court's chambers. The decisions of the General Assembly shall be issued by a majority of the members present, and its decisions shall be final.

Divisions of Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia

The Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia consists of several divisions according to the need to work in them and distribute cases to them, such as: Legal, Criminal, Family Law, Commercial and Labor divisions. The circuits in the court are arranged, formed, and the cases they hear are determined by a decision of the Supreme Judicial Council.

The Supreme Court exercises its jurisdiction through specialized divisions, each consisting of three judges, with the exception of the Criminal Division, which hears verdicts of murder, amputation, stoning, retribution (qisas) in self or non-self, which consists of five judges, and each division has a president.

The head and members of each division of the Supreme Court are named by a decision of the Supreme Judicial Council, based on the proposal of the President of the Supreme Court. Each division of the court is convened under the chairmanship of its president and in the presence of all its members.

Crescent Sighting Division of the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia

One of the divisions of the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia is the Crescent Sighting Division, whose jurisdiction includes calling for the observation of the crescents of the Hijri months, especially the crescents of Ramadan, Shawwal, and Dhu al-Hijjah, due to their connection with the acts of fasting and Hajj. The court calls for the sighting of the crescent and invites anyone who observes it, either with the naked eye or through telescopes, to report to the nearest court and register their testimony.

If a number of trustworthy witnesses testify to seeing the crescent before the Crescent Sighting Committee of the Supreme Court, or if the previous month is completed for Sha‘ban, Ramadan, or Dhu al-Hijjah, the Royal Court issues a statement declaring that the following day is the first day of the month.

Digital transformation at the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia

In 2022, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia completed the requirements of the full digital transformation project, which shortens the time and effort for beneficiaries, contributes to enhancing the speed and quality of the consideration and adjudication of requests, providing institutionalized justice with high quality, and improving the beneficiary experience, within the framework of the implementation of the "Model Court" project in the stages of litigation, which aims to achieve effective justice by accelerating the consideration of cases while improving the quality.

The digital transformation and development at the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia include: Developing the electronic cassation record, submitting cassation requests, preparing cassation requests, referring cassation requests, conducting electronic deliberations, tracking requests, issuing judicial instruments, enhancing support and technical preparation tasks in the technical administration, and keeping pace with the requirements of the cassation judiciary in electronic systems.