Set Up of Mega Court

Educational Visits

SET UP OF MEGA COURT

The Supreme Court auditorium was set up as a mega courtroom on 15 September 2008 in response to the parties’ feedback and to accommodate their space requirements for a case involving multiple parties. This was the first time a courtroom 700 square meters large was set up for a trial.

The furniture, audio visual and technology facilities in the Mega Court take about 10 hours to set up. Once operational, it can accommodate up to 40 counsel and 242 members of the public. The worktable of the private secretary to the Judge is wired to facilitate broadcast of videos and documents to the Judge and all other parties. Apart from the projection screen of the auditorium, four mobile trolleys on each side of the Mega Court facilitate viewing of broadcasted materials by counsel and members of the public. A total of 37 microphone points service the Judge’s and Counsel’s benches, the witness box, interpreters and accused persons (if any).

In order to ensure that all users were comfortable in the larger space, the counsel seats and witness stand were arranged in three different configurations (the conventional, the quardrant and the oval) during various tranches of hearings. Feedback from court users was then sought to ascertain the optimal Court layout.

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EDUCATIONAL VISITS

The Supreme Court welcomed more than 4,800 students in 2008 from both local and foreign institutions of learning. Our participation in the Ministry of Education’s Learning Journeys programme has allowed us to customise guided programmes for students from junior colleges and universities to learn about the conduct of a trial, the layout of a courtroom and witness the use of technology in court proceedings. We have also facilitated visits from primary and secondary schools organised by educational tour companies.

Local and foreign delegates from many countries also visited the Supreme Court to learn about Singapore’s legal system, court structure and the work of the Supreme Court. They include representatives from courts, government bodies and the legal sector. Some countries sent more than one delegation.