Bar president Ezri Abdul Wahab said the building, built between 1894 and 1897, carried “historical weight that could not be replicated elsewhere”.

“The return of judicial functions would serve the public interest by preserving heritage and reconnecting the public with the nation’s legal history,” he said in a statement.

Ezri said for members of the judiciary and legal profession, BSAS represented more than colonial architecture or old government space.

“It is where appellate practice matured, where foundational judgments were handed down and where many lawyers built their careers.

“Its courtrooms, corridors and chambers remain part of the collective memory of the Malaysian legal system,” he said.

Ezri said returning judicial functions to BSAS would also strengthen civic symbolism, adding that courts should “reflect dignity and permanence”.

“Situating them within a building that forms part of the national consciousness reinforces that symbolism.

“It would also ensure heritage buildings continue to serve institutional purposes rather than becoming static showpieces without living function,” he said.

Ezri noted that a similar approach was taken in Hong Kong, where the building that originally housed the Supreme Court later became the Legislative Council Building for several decades, and was then reinstated as the permanent home of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal.

“The move showed that historic buildings, when properly planned and adapted, can resume their judicial role in a contemporary context without compromising security or efficiency.

“Malaysia can adopt a similar philosophy. Urban planning and development must take heritage, identity and institutional continuity into account. Modern facilities are necessary, but should not erase the physical anchors of our constitutional history,” he said.

Now largely unused, BSAS is currently undergoing restoration work by Khazanah Nasional Bhd, which seeks to reimagine the building as a “creative and cultural space”.