Viking Tours Ltd. v. The Finance Co, Ltd. and Another – sllr 1981 volume 1 page 116

In the case between Viking Tours Ltd. and The Finance Co. Ltd., the court addressed the issue of whether a Magistrate, under section 102 of the Administration of Justice Law (analogous to section 431 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act), possessed jurisdiction to inquire into the validity or genuineness of a hire-purchase agreement. It was held that the Magistrate had exceeded authorized jurisdiction by investigating the underlying contractual dispute, which is a matter reserved for civil courts. The power under section 102 concerns only the procedural disposal of seized property. The decision reaffirmed the principle that a Magistrate cannot adjudicate upon substantive civil rights at such an inquiry, emphasizing that once parties admit to a hire-purchase transaction, questions regardin