IPOH: A transparent judgment reflects a credible justice system that is not influenced by fear for anyone, says the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah.
He said that in the justice system, the judge is an important person and plays a major role in ensuring the credibility and integrity of the judiciary.
“There should not be any doubt and a judge must be free from any influence or pressure,” he said when launching the Perak Al-Qanun Shariah Journal Vol 1, 2022 here today.
Sultan Nazrin said that in the effort to create a shariah judicial institution that is credible and has integrity, judicial officers need to be sent for training, equipped with skills, and given the necessary exposure.
“This will enable them to gain experience from time to time to improve their knowledge and competence in interpreting the shariah law,” he said.
He also said judges should write quality judgments on cases as a guide and reference for legal practitioners.
“The grounds of judgment will also be used as a consideration by any party aggrieved by the decision to make a review, whether they want to proceed with their intention to appeal or not.
“If the basis and grounds of the judgment are weak, the appellant has the right to argue that the judge erred in his judgment and apply for the case to be reviewed by a higher court.
“The opportunity to appeal is a right guaranteed by law, becoming a venue for a higher court judge to review the grounds of judgment by the lower court judges, whether there is a mistake or not,” he said.
Sultan Nazrin said that in his role as the head of the Islamic religion responsible for Islamic affairs in the state, he fully supported the principle of the independence of the shariah judiciary for the sake of justice.
He expressed the need for efforts to improve the shariah judicial system and empower the shariah court system.
“Publishing the Al-Qanun Perak Shariah Journal is an example of a noble and commendable effort. Hopefully, Al-Qanun can be used as reference material by judges and legal practitioners,” he said.