HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The high courts in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
are the third-highest courts in the hierarchy of
courts A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...
, after the Federal Court and the
Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...
. Article 121 of the
Constitution of Malaysia The Federal Constitution of Malaysia ( ms, Perlembagaan Persekutuan Malaysia) which was promulgated on 16 September 1963, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document which was preceded ...
provides that there shall be two high courts of co-ordinate jurisdiction—the High Court in Malaya and the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak (before 1994, the High Court in Borneo). Before 1969, the High Court in Singapore was also part of the Malaysian courts system (see
Law of Singapore The legal system of Singapore is based on the English common law system. Major areas of law – particularly administrative law, contract law, equity and trust law, property law and tort law – are largely judge-made, though certain aspects h ...
). The High Court in Malaya has its principal registry in
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...
, with other registries to be found in all states in
Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
, while the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak has its principal registry in Kuching, with other registries elsewhere in Sabah and Sarawak. There are in total 22 high court registries across all 13 states in Malaysia. The two High Courts also travel on circuit to other smaller towns. The two high courts, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court are classified as superior courts, while the magistrates' courts and the sessions courts are classified as the subordinate courts. The high courts function both as a court of
original jurisdiction In common law legal systems original jurisdiction of a court is the power to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction, when a higher court has the power to review a lower court's decision. India In India, the Sup ...
as well as an
appellate court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...
, and are each headed by a chief judge (before 1994, chief justice). The chief judges of Malaya and Sabah and Sarawak are the third and fourth highest positions in Malaysian judiciary after the Chief Justice of the Federal Court (before 1994, the
Lord President of the Federal Court The title of Lord President of the Supreme Court was formerly the title of the head of the judiciary in Malaysia, until 1994 when the office was renamed " Chief Justice of the Federal Court". The Lord President was head of the highest court in Mal ...
) and the President of the Court of Appeal.


High court registries in Malaysia

All high court registries and the subordinate courts found in
Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
including the courts in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are under the jurisdiction of the High Court in Malaya. Similarly, all courts found in
East Malaysia East Malaysia (), or the Borneo States, also known as Malaysian Borneo, is the part of Malaysia on and near the island of Borneo, the world's third-largest island. Near the coast of Sabah is a small archipelago called Labuan. East Malaysia li ...
are under the jurisdiction of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak including the courts in the Federal Territory of Labuan.


List of chief justices and chief judges


Malaya


Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Malayan Union (1946-1948)

1947–1948: Harold Curwen Willan


Chief Justice of the Federation of Malaya (1957–1963)

* 1957–1963:
Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Sir James Thomson


Lord Presidents of the Federal Court of Malaysia (1963–1994)

* 1963–1966:
Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Sir James Thomson * 1966–1968:
Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Syed Sheh Hassan Barakbah * 1966–1974:
Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Mohamed Azmi Mohamed Tun Azmi bin Mohamed was the former Lord President of the Federal Court. His son, Zaki Azmi was the sixth Chief Justice of Malaysia. Honours Honours of Malaysia * : ** Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Ord ...
* 1974–1982:
Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Mohamed Suffian Mohamed Hashim Tun Mohamed Suffian bin Mohamed Hashim (12 November 1917 – 26 September 2000) was a Malaysian judge, eventually serving as Lord President of the Federal Court from 1974 to 1982. He had previously served as Chief Justice of Malaya. Tun Suf ...
* 1982–1984:
Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Azlan Shah * 1984–1988:
Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Salleh Abas Mohamed Salleh bin Abas ( Jawi: محمد صالح بن عباس; ‎25 August 1929 – 16 January 2021) was a Malaysian judge and politician. He was a Lord President of the Federal (then Supreme) Court of Malaysia. He was dismissed from his ...
* 1988–1994:
Tun TUN or tun may refer to: Biology * Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae'' * Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state * Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona'' Places * Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Abdul Hamid Omar Abdul Hamid bin Omar (25 March 1929 – 1 September 2009) was the first Chief Justice of Malaysia. Early life Abdul Hamid Omar was born on 25 March 1929 in Kuala Perlis, Perlis Indera Kayangan. He obtained his early education at the Sultan ...


Chief Justice of Malaya (prior to 1994, when the position was downgraded to Chief Judges of Malaya)

*1963-1966: Syed Sheh Barakbah *1966-1968: Mohamed Azmi Mohamed *1968-1973: Ong Hock Thye *1973-1974: Mohamed Suffian Mohamed Hashim *1974-1979: Pajan Sarwan Singh Gill *1979-1982: Raja Azlan Shah *1982-1984: Salleh Abas *1984-1988: Abdul Hamid Omar *1988-1992: Hashim Yeop Sani *1992-1994 Gunn Chit Tuan Some modern texts will refer to them as Chief Judges.(2015) p.107, The Malaysian Judiciary Yearbook 2015, http://www.kehakiman.gov.my/sites/default/files/YearBook2015.pdf


Chief Judges of Malaya (since 1994)

* 1994:
Mohamed Eusoff Chin Tun Mohamed Eusoff bin Chin (born 5 May 1936) is a retired Malaysian lawyer who served as the second Chief Justice of Malaysia. Honours * : ** Companion of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (JSM) (1978) ** Commander of the Order ...
*1994–1998: Anuar Zainal Abidin * 1998–2001: Wan Adnan Ismail * 2001–2002: Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim * 2002–2004:
Haidar Mohamed Noor Haydar ( ar, حيدر), also spelt Hajdar, Hayder, Heidar, Haider, Heydar, and other variants, is an Arabic male given name, also used as a surname, meaning " lion". In Islamic tradition, the name is primarily associated with Ali ibn Abi Tali ...
* 2004–2006: Siti Norma Yaakob * 2007–2008:
Alauddin Sheriff Alauddin (Arabic: علاء الدين) is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, also a surname. This name derives from the Arabic ''“ʻAlāʼ ad-Dīn”'', meaning “servant of Allah, nobility of faith, nobility of religion, nobility of ...
* 2008–2011:
Arifin Zakaria Arifin bin Zakaria (born 1 October 1950) is a Malaysian lawyer who served as the seventh Chief Justice of Malaysia, serving from 12 September 2011, succeeding Zaki Azmi, until 31 March 2017. Education background After completing his seconda ...
* 2011–2017: Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin * 2017–2018:
Ahmad Maarop Tan Sri Dato' Sri Ahmad bin Haji Maarop (born 25 May 1953) is a Malaysian jurist and lawyer who served as the tenth President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (PCA). Early life and education Maarop was born in , a village in the histo ...
* 2018–2019: Zaharah Ibrahim * 2019–present: Azahar Mohamed


Borneo (North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak)


Singapore


See also

*
Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements The chief justice of Singapore is the presiding member of the Supreme Court of Singapore. It is the highest post in the judicial system of Singapore, appointed by the president, chosen from the candidates recommended by the prime minister. The in ...
*
Federal Court of Malaysia The Federal Court of Malaysia ( ms, Mahkamah Persekutuan Malaysia) is the highest court and the final appellate court in Malaysia. It is housed in the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya. The court was established during Malaya's independence in 1 ...
*
Malaysian Court of Appeal Judiciary of Malaysia is largely centralised despite Malaysia's federal constitution, heavily influenced by the English common law, as well as Islamic jurisprudence. Current system There are generally two types of trials, criminal and ci ...
*
Judiciary of Malaysia Judiciary of Malaysia is largely centralised despite Malaysia's federal constitution, heavily influenced by the English common law, as well as Islamic jurisprudence. Current system There are generally two types of trials, criminal and civ ...
*
Lord President of the Federal Court The title of Lord President of the Supreme Court was formerly the title of the head of the judiciary in Malaysia, until 1994 when the office was renamed " Chief Justice of the Federal Court". The Lord President was head of the highest court in Mal ...
*
Chief Justice of Malaysia The Chief Justice of Malaysia (Malay: ''Ketua Hakim Negara Malaysia''), also known as the chief justice of the Federal Court, is the office and title of the head of the Malaysian judiciary system. The title has been in use since 1994, and pr ...
*
President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia The President of the Court of Appeal of Malaysia (Malay: ''Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan''), is the office and title of the deputy head of the Malaysian judiciary system. The title has been in use since 24 June 1994, when the Court of Appeal of Mala ...
*
Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak The Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak ( Malay: ''Hakim Besar Sabah dan Sarawak''; ), formerly the Chief Justice of Borneo, is the office and title of the head of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak. The title has been in use since 24 June 1994, ...
* 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal


References

{{British dependencies chief justices, state = collapsed
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
Judiciary of Malaysia Chief justices of Malaysia