FEB 27 — Rosli Dahlan and Fawza Sabila Faudzi, in an article published in the Malay Mail in 2015, rightly referred to the case of Latifah bte Mat Zin v Rosmawati bte Sharibun & Anor [2007] 5 MLJ 101 to assert that the syariah (or Shariah) court is an inferior court.

In that case, Federal Court judge Abdul Hamid Mohamad (as he then was) said:

"[T]he civil High Courts, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court are established by the Constitution itself. But, that is not the case with the syariah courts. A syariah court in a State is established or comes into being only when the Legislature of the State makes law to establish it, pursuant to the powers given to it by item 1 of the State List. In fact, the position of the syariah courts, in this respect, is similar to the Session Courts and the Magistrates' Courts … which the Constitution calls ‘inferior courts’.”

Many lawyers, too, view the syariah court as an inferior court.

A general view of the Federal Court in Putrajaya February 15, 2022. — Bernama pic

"It is an inferior court as provided under the Constitution, like the industrial court, penghulu court, consumer claims tribunal, and the home buyers tribunal,” New Sin Yew, a Constitutional lawyer, told The Malay Mail.

"The syariah court … is an inferior court,” said Lawyers for Liberty (LFL).

The syariah courts are state courts, but should they be "inferior courts"?

The courts’ subject matter jurisdiction includes, among others, divorce and matrimonial causes, guardianship of infants and the person and property of infants. 

These are subject matters over which the civil High Court – a superior court – exercises jurisdiction and not the subordinate courts – the Session Courts and the Magistrates' Courts which the Constitution calls "inferior courts."

As a matter of fact, subject matter jurisdiction of the civil High Court once included the custody of children – Muslims and non-Muslims. Then the syariah courts were established under State Enactments with jurisdiction regarding custody of Muslim children.

However, in Myriam v Mohamed Arif [1971] 1 MLJ 265, the High Court held that it still had jurisdiction regarding custody of Muslim children. Hence the amendments to the Constitution vide the Constitution (Amendment) Act 1988 which, among others, introduced a new clause 1A to Article 121.

Now, a quick look at Australia – a federation like Malaysia – informs us that while the High Court of Australia is the highest Court in the Australian Court hierarchy and the Federal Court of Australia hears civil disputes governed by federal laws, each state and territory in the Federation of Australia has a court hierarchy of its own.

The court hierarchy in each state and territory varies, but all states and territories have a Supreme Court, which is the highest court within that state or territory.

There are also appellate courts within the hierarchy – the Court of Appeal (in civil matters), or the Court of Criminal Appeal (in criminal matters).

These are state courts but not inferior courts.

And so shouldn't the syariah courts.

The legislature needs to act. As Abdul Hamid FCJ said in Latifah bte Mat Zin v Rosmawati bte Sharibun & Anor:

"The problem is, everyone looks to the court to solve the problem of the Legislature. Judges too, (including myself), unwittingly, took upon themselves the responsibility to solve the problem of the legislature because they believe that they have to decide the case before them one way or the other.

"That, in my view, is a mistake. The function of the court is to apply the law, not make or to amend law not made by the Legislature. Knowing the inadequacy of the law, it is for the Legislature to remedy it, by amendment or by making new law. It is not the court's function to try to remedy it.”

The syariah courts – at least those invested with jurisdiction on marital status of Muslims and custody and guardianship of Muslim children – should not be inferior courts.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.