Criminal Revision is the Court's power to alter proceedings. I am asking this question due to my interest in the comparison of the country's approach to criminal revision.
Indian law is derived from British positive law because of occupation but the singapore’s law there is a perception that Singapore society is highly regulated through the criminalization of many activities which are considered as fairly harmless in other countries. These include failing to flush toilets after use, littering, jaywalking, the possession of pornography, A catchphrase recently used in a police anti-crime campaign was "Low crime does not mean no crime".
Singapore and India both allow criminal revision as a mechanism for higher courts to correct legal errors, but their procedures and scope differ.
In India, criminal revision is governed by Sections 397–401 of the CrPC, 1973, allowing High Courts and Sessions Courts to revise orders to prevent miscarriage of justice. It cannot be used to re-evaluate evidence but focuses on jurisdictional errors or legal irregularities.
In Singapore, criminal revision falls under Sections 263–266 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), 2010, granting the High Court discretionary power to review subordinate court decisions. Unlike India, Singapore’s courts exercise this power sparingly, mainly for serious legal errors or procedural unfairness.
A key difference is that India allows Sessions Courts to entertain revisions, while Singapore centralizes this power in the High Court. Additionally, Singapore’s judiciary follows a stricter approach, limiting intervention to exceptional cases, whereas India has broader discretionary application.
In Singapore, criminal revision is pretty limited, it's mainly used to fix serious legal mistakes or clear injustices, and the High Court is cautious about using this power. They don’t re-examine evidence or facts, just make sure the process was fair. In India, it’s more flexible. Under Section 397 of the Criminal Procedure Code, both the High Court and Sessions Court can revise orders to check if they were correct and fair. Indian courts also have more power to stop any misuse of the legal process, giving them more room to maneuver compared to Singapore’s stricter approach.
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