ĐORĐEVIĆ v. CROATIA JUDGMENT
15
Section 66
“A request for the protection of a constitutionally guaranteed right or freedom ... if
such a right or freedom has been violated by a final individual act [that is, decision],
and no other judicial protection is secured, shall be decided by the [Administrative
Court], by applying, mutatis mutandis, the provisions of this Act.”
66. Sections 67 to 76 provide for special proceedings for the protection
of constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms from unlawful factual
(physical) acts of public officials where no other judicial remedy is
available. Under the case-law of the domestic courts, the protection against
unlawful “acts” also includes omissions (for example, the Administrative
Court, in its decision no. Us-2099/89 of 21 September 1989, and the
Supreme Court, in its decision no. Gž-9/1993 of 6 April 1993, held that
failure of the administrative authorities to carry out their own enforcement
order constituted an “unlawful act” within the meaning of section 67 of the
Administrative Disputes Act).
67. Under section 67 such proceedings are to be instituted by bringing
an “action against an unlawful act” (tužba za zaštitu od nezakonite radnje)
in the competent municipal court. The action must be brought against the
public authority to which the factual act (or omission) is imputable (the
defendant).
68. Under section 72 the action is to be forwarded to the public authority
concerned for a reply within the time-limit set by the court conducting the
proceedings. However, a decision may be adopted even without such a reply
where the submissions made in the action provide a reliable basis for the
decision.
69. Section 73 provides that the court decides on the merits of the case
by a judgment. If it finds in favour of the plaintiff, the court orders the
defendant to desist from the unlawful activity and, if necessary, orders
restitutio in integrum.
70. Section 74 provides that in proceedings following an “action against
an unlawful act” the court is to apply, mutatis mutandis, the provisions of
the Civil Procedure Act.
E. The Civil Obligations Act
71. The relevant part of the Civil Obligations Act (Zakon o obveznim
odnosima, Official Gazette nos. 35/2005 and 41/2008), which came into
force on 1 January 2006 and abrogated the former 1978 Obligations Act,
reads as follows: