High Court of Malawi - 2015 October

6 judgments
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Results. 6 judgments found.

6 judgments
October 2015
30 October 2015
Chief Justice recused for reasonable apprehension of bias and ceded certification power under inherent jurisdiction.
  • Constitutional procedure — Certification of constitutional proceedings — Whether Chief Justice may certify after prior involvement in related inquiry
  • Judicial bias — Recusal — Reasonable apprehension of bias where a judge previously chaired an inquiry into matters before the court
  • Inherent jurisdiction — Delegation of statutory power — Ceding Chief Justice’s certification authority to another judge in the interests of justice
28 October 2015
26 October 2015
Registration of a vehicle creates a rebuttable presumption of ownership which may be displaced by uncontradicted evidence of prior sale.
  • Tort — Motor vehicle negligence — Ownership presumption arising from registration and its rebuttal
  • Evidence — Hearsay and admissibility — Reliance on uncontradicted employee testimony to prove prior sale
  • Procedure — Third‑party notice — Effect of third parties’ failure to plead or appear
13 October 2015
In customary marriages matrimonial property may be "held jointly" despite registration in one spouse’s name and should be fairly divided under the Constitution.
  • Family Law
    • — Matrimonial Property — Customary marriage — Fair disposal and joint holding under Constitution s 24(1)(b)(i)
    • — Maintenance and Property — Interaction of s 24(1)(b)(ii) maintenance obligations with property distribution
7 October 2015
Whether the respondent’s report amounted to laying a charge, giving rise to false imprisonment and defamation, but not malicious prosecution.
  • False imprisonment — distinction between reporting a crime and laying a charge; Defamation — false statement, publication and reputational injury; Malicious prosecution — requirement of procuring/procurement, absence of malice and probable cause; Civil burden of proof — balance of probabilities.
7 October 2015