Sultan Azlan Shah

Judgments of HRH Sultan Azlan Shah

His Royal Highness Sultan Azlan Shah was a judge of the superior courts of Malaysia for a period of some 20 years. In 1965, at the age of only 37, His Royal Highness was elevated to the Bench of the High Court of Malaya, and in 1973, His Royal Highness was elevated to the Federal Court of Malaysia as a Federal Court Judge. In 1979, His Royal Highness was appointed the Chief Justice of the High Court of Malaya, an office which he held until his appointment as the Lord President of the Federal Court of Malaysia on 12 November 1982. His Royal Highness’ meteoric advancement within the judiciary in Malaysia was clear testimony to his intellect and capabilities and to his contribution to the development of Malaysian law.

His Royal Highness is universally regarded as one of the most outstanding judges in the history of the Malaysian judiciary. During his tenure as a High Court Judge, Federal Court Judge, Chief Justice and as Lord President, His Royal Highness had the unique distinction of having some 280 of his judgments reported in the law journals. In another 200 reported cases, His Royal Highness was a member of the Federal Court which heard and determined the cases. His Royal Highness also heard and determined more than 150 cases in the High Court, sitting as a High Court Judge at first instance whilst holding office as a Federal Court Judge.

The judgments of His Royal Highness, together with commentary thereon, were published in a volume entitled “Judgments of His Royal Highness Sultan Azlan Shah with Commentary” (Edited by Professor Dato’ Dr Visu Sinnadurai, Professional Law Books Publishers, 1986), and may be accessed in the links provided below. In addition, a humble perspective of His Royal Highness’ contribution to the development of Malaysian law is also made available below.

The publications have been made available in the links below with the kind permission of the publishers.

The Judgments of His Royal Highness Sultan Azlan Shah