The superior court of first instance, with resident judges in most provincial centres and circuits reaching the more remote provinces. Section 57 of the Constitution allows it to enforce basic rights on its own initiative, a power it has used to act on prison conditions and police conduct without waiting for a plaintiff. It also supervises the Village Courts, which apply custom.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- first instance
- Court type
- Superior court of general jurisdiction
- Jurisdiction
- Unlimited original jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters, enforcement of basic rights under section 57, judicial review, and appeals from the District and Village Courts.
- Seat
- Waigani, Port Moresby
- Established
- 1975
- Composition
- Judges of the National Court sitting alone; there are no civil juries.
- Appointment
- Appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.
- Languages
- English, Tok Pisin
Where an appeal goes next
Appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice.
Filing at this court
- Judicial review
- Leave required; application within four months of the decision
- Human rights application
- May be brought under section 57 by any person or by the court itself
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