Time Taken to Conclude a Divorce at Family Justice Courts and Syariah Court

1 Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked the Minister for Law (a) what is the average amount of time taken to conclude a civil divorce at the Family Justice Courts (FJC); (b) what is the average amount of time taken to conclude a divorce at the Syariah Court (SYC); and (c) whether there has been an increase in the number of divorce cases filed (both in FJC and SYC) in 2017/ 2018 as opposed to 2015/2016.

Mr K Shanmugam: The average time taken to conclude a civil divorce at the FJC, where parties consent to the divorce and agree on all issues relating to the divorce, is about four months. Where a divorce is contested, the average time taken to conclude the case is about eight months.

On average, cases at the SYC are concluded within six months or less on average if parties consent to the divorce and agree on all issues relating to the divorce. Where a divorce is contested, it is concluded, on average, within one year from the date of filing the divorce application.

Compared to 2015 and 2016, there has not been an increase in the number of divorce cases filed in 2017 and 2018. This applies to divorce cases filed both in the FJC and the SYC.