Key legal question
Whether an appeal may be entered into when the cost advance was paid after the original deadline but before a grace period was set under Art. 101(3) CPC.
Extracted holding
Yes. A late payment made shortly after expiry of the initial deadline cannot disadvantage the appellant if no grace period has yet been set; a non-entry decision may only be issued after such a grace period.
Extracted reasoning
Although the 10-day deadline expired on 24 February 2011 and the advance reached the court on 1 March 2011, Art. 101(3) CPC requires that a grace period be set before a non-entry decision for failure to pay the advance. Since that had not yet happened, the appeal had to be admitted.