THE REPUBLIC vs. HE HIGH COURT, ACCRA (RESPONDENT) EX PARTE ALHAJI ABDUL RASHID AND NANA YAA KONADU [2014]DLSC4675

THE REPUBLIC vs. HE HIGH COURT, ACCRA (RESPONDENT) EX PARTE ALHAJI ABDUL RASHID... [2014]DLSC4675

Date	2014-02-13
Suit No.	CIVIL MOTION NO. J5/13/ 2014
Citation No.	[2014]DLSC4675

ATUGUBA J.S.C. (PRESIDING)

ANSAH J.S.C.

BAFFOE-BONNIE J.S.C.

GBADEGBE J.S.C.

AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS.) J.S.C.

J. OPPOKU - AGYEI FOR THE APPLICANT

OSAFO BUABENG FOR THE INTERESTERED PARTY

[2014]DLSC4675
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HE HIGH COURT, ACCRA<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>EX
PARTE ALHAJI ABDUL RASHID (APPLICANT)
AND NANA YAA KONADU (INTERESTED PARTY)<o:p></o:p>[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CIVIL
MOTION NO. J5/13/ 2014&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;13TH FEBRUARY, 2014<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>J.&nbsp; OPPOKU - AGYEI FOR THE APPLICANT<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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OSAFO BUABENG FOR THE INTERESTERED
PARTY<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p>ATUGUBA J.S.C.
(PRESIDING), ANSAH J.S.C., BAFFOE-BONNIE J.S.C., GBADEGBE J.S.C., AKOTO-BAMFO
(MRS.) J.S.C.&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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</div>ATUGUBA J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>The facts<o:p></o:p>The applicant
and the interested party were granted a divorce decree on the 23rd
day of September, 2009 by the High Court (Court 20), Accra subject to the
determination of ancillary reliefs. The applicant having remarried, was minded
to bring his new wife to the former matrimonial home. The interested party
claiming exclusive ownership of the said home filed a motion on the 4th
day of July, 2013 “praying the Court for
an order of interlocutory injunction to restrain the Respondent/respondent herein
or his agents, privies, assigns and whomsoever from bringing into the
matrimonial house, House No. 233, Airport West, Dzorwulu, Accra and any of the
buildings listed as being in dispute in this matter, the woman the respondent
has recently married, or any other woman to cohabit or live therein or for any
purpose and from harassing and intimidating the petitioner pending the final
determination of the suit.”<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The motion eventually
came before Elizabeth Ankumah J as vacation judge sitting in High Court (Court 9),
Accra. Though the applicant attended court his counsel, Edward Anokye, did not,
but sought adjournments on grounds of ill health. Both sides having filed their
affidavits the motion was fixed for Ruling on the 2nd day of
September, 2013. However, the applicant, on account of the alleged ill health
of his said counsel, filed a motion in this (Supreme) Court on the 28th
day of September, 2013 per David K. Adade Boafo , “ for judicial review by way
of an order for Prohibition directed at the High Court, Accra, presided over by
Her Ladyship Justice Elizabeth Ankama (sic) restraining the Court from giving a
Ruling in respect of an application for an order for interlocutory injunction
dated 4th July, 2013, filed by the Interested Party herein which has
been fixed for Ruling on 2nd September, 2013, in&nbsp; a Petition entitled Nana Yaa Konadu vrs.
Alhaji Abdul Rashid – Suit No. BDMC 164/09, in which the Applicant herein is
Respondent/Respondent therein.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>THE GROUNDS FOR
THE APPLICATION ARE AS FOLLOWS:<o:p></o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-outline-level:
 1;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">The
 High Court, Accra, a vacation Court, erred by insisting on going ahead to
 hear and give a Ruling in the absence of counsel for Applicant herein when
 he had written to the Court indicating that he wanted to rest during the vacation and alluded to his health in the said letter and thus denying the
 Applicant a hearing through his counsel.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-outline-level:
 1;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">The
 High Court, Accra erred by issuing a directive to the Applicant’s counsel
 to attend court when he had provided
 the Court with a medical report from the Cardiothoracic Centre at
 Korle-Bu advising that he should
 rest for a month &nbsp;while
 taking&nbsp; his medication and in the
 process denying the Applicant herein a hearing through his counsel
 particularly when Applicant’s
 counsel had stated in a letter that he intended filing a supplementary
 affidavit in opposition but could not do so because of his health.”
 (e.s.)<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>This motion was
fixed for hearing on the 22nd day of October 2013 but was struck out
on that day pursuant to a notice of withdrawal filed by the applicant’s counsel
the previous day. In the interim Elizabeth Ankumah J stayed her Ruling, &nbsp;but thereafter the parties were served with
notices dated the 28th day of October 2013 for delivery of the
Ruling on the 31st day of October 2013; on which day the interested
party’s aforementioned motion for interlocutory injunction was granted by
Elizabeth Ankumah J aforementioned.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Proffered Legal Basis for the Application<o:p></o:p>The applicant
moves this court to quash the said Ruling of Elizabeth Ankumah J dated the 31st
day of October 2013 on the ground specified in his motion paper and maintained
in his statement of case as follows:<o:p></o:p>