Filing and service of application
7.4.—(1) The application shall be filed in court, accompanied by one copy and a number of additional copies equal to the number of persons who are to be served with the application.
(2) Subject as follows in this Rule and the next, or unless the Rule under which the application is brought provides otherwise, or the court otherwise orders, upon the presentation of the documents mentioned in paragraph (1) above, the court shall fix a venue for the application to be heard.
(3) Unless the court otherwise directs, the applicant shall serve a sealed copy of the application, endorsed with the venue for the hearing, on the respondent named in the application (or on each respondent if more than one).
(4) The court may give any of the following directions—
(a)that the application be served upon persons other than those specified by the relevant provision of the Act or Rules;
(b)that the giving of notice to any person may be dispensed with;
(c)that notice be given in some way other than that specified in paragraph (3).
(5) Unless the provision of the Act or Rules under which the application is made provides otherwise, and subject to the next paragraph, the application must be served at least 14 days before the date fixed for the hearing.
(6) Where the case is one of urgency, the court may (without prejudice to its general power to extend or abridge time limits)—
(a)hear the application immediately, either with or without notice to, or the attendance of, other parties, or
(b)authorise a shorter period of service than that provided for by paragraph (5);
and any such application may be heard on terms providing for the filing or service of documents, or the carrying out of other formalities, as the court thinks fit.