  ELECTRO-MAGNETIC RECORDING OF PROCEEDINGS _g CAP. 284.        1
CHAPTER 284 
ELECTRO-MAGNETIC RECORDING OF 
PROCEEDINGS ACT
To make provision for the recording of proceedings by electro-magnetic
means.
(9th May, 1980) *
Enacted by ACT XVI of 1980, as amended by Act XXIV of 1995.
Short title.
of Proceedings Act.
Interpretation.
Amended by:
XXIV.1995.360.
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires - 
"court" means any court of law, Board, arbitration, tribunal,
commission or committee of inquiry, empowered by law to receive
evidence during proceedings;
"proceedings" includes evidence, oral pleadings, award, finding,
order, decree, decision or sentence and any words said in open
court or  in camera  during the conduct of business of any court;
"Registrar" means the Registrar of the Courts and any secretary
of any Board, arbitration, tribunal, commission or committee of
inquiry;
"tapes" means the tapes or other objects on which proceedings
have been recorded by any electro-magnetic means and includes
also a master tape;
"transcriber" means the person charged by the Registrar with the
duty of rendering in written form the recordings on the tapes.
Recording and 
transcription of 
proceedings.
3. (1) Notwithstanding any provision in any other law, any
court may order that its proceedings or any part thereof be recorded
by electro-magnetic means.
(2) The Registrar shall cause the recording on the tapes to be
transcribed:
Provided that in trials on a bill of indictment the Registrar
shall not be bound to cause such transcription to be made except
when, and to the extent that, the Criminal Court or the Court of
Criminal Appeal has so ordered:
Provided further, that any court may order that only part of
the proceedings be transcribed.
(3) The transcription may be handwritten or typewritten by the
transcribers as the Registrar may direct, and shall form part of the
records of the proceedings.
(4) The transcriber shall put his signature on every page of the
transcript and shall make a declaration at the end thereof that he has
honestly and faithfully and to the best of his knowledge and ability,
* See  Government Notice No. 266 of 9th May, 1980.
  2      CAP. 284. _h         ELECTRO-MAGNETIC RECORDING OF PROCEEDINGS
transcribed the recordings on the tapes.
(5) The tapes shall be deemed to form part of the records of the
proceedings of the court until they are erased according to the
provisions of this Act.
Substance of 
proceedings may 
be recorded.
4. (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3 and of any
other law, the court may order that only the substance of
proceedings or of the evidence produced during proceedings, as
dictated by the court, be recorded by electro-magnetic means.
(2) Where the court has ordered that the substance only of the
evidence of any witness be recorded by electro-magnetic means
and such summary is dictated by the court in the presence of the
witness, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law requiring
that the transcript thereof shall be read over by the witness during
or after the sitting and that a note of such reading be made at the
foot of such script, such reading over shall be dispensed with, and
the transcript shall be deemed to have been duly read over and
confirmed by the witness, provided that the court shall make at the
end of such summary a declaration that the substance of the
evidence has been dictated by the court in the presence of the
witness.
Custody of tapes. 5. The Registrar shall be responsible for the custody and safe-
keeping of the tapes:
Provided that the Minister responsible for justice may
appoint any other person to perform the duties aforesaid.
Erasure of tapes. 6. Where final judgment has been delivered or where the
matter in issue has been finally resolved or where a transcription of
the recording has been made, the Registrar may direct that the
recording be erased:
Provided that the court may, either  ex officio  or on an
application filed, within seven days from the date of the recording,
by any of the parties, direct that the recording or any part thereof be
not erased until such time as a counter order is given on the
application of the Registrar.
Copies of tapes. 
Added by: 
XXIV.1995.360.
7. The Registrar may give copies of the originals of the tapes
on payment of such fee prescribed as the Minister responsible for
justice may by regulations prescribe.
