Judges Should Always Act With Dignity Cj Says

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Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat today emphasised that judges should always act with dignity and perform their duties to the highest standards to uphold the integrity of their office.
She said it is also important for a judge to decide on matters impartially, a responsibility clearly outlined in the Judges’ Code of Ethics 2009.
“By judicial independence, judges are answerable to no one except their conscience and their learning, where decisions are made solely on the evidence presented in court by the parties and in accordance with the law.
“An independent judge decides cases on the merits, without regard to personalities involved, with no fear of any kind of threat or sanction,” she said when delivering a keynote address at the Negeri Sembilan Bar Law Conference in commemoration of NS Bar’s 60th Anniversary today.
Tengku Maimun also noted that an independent judge will not succumb to any kind of pressure nor be lured by any kind of reward or promise.
Be competent, diligent
She also said judges must decide cases based purely on the law and the facts before them and ought not to take into account other extraneous considerations.
Tengku Maimun added that judges need to be competent and diligent and should be well-versed with established legal principles as well as evidentiary and procedural rules.
She also stated that judges and lawyers must collaborate effectively, as the lawyer’s role is to guide the court accurately, ensuring justice is served.
“Judges are neither omniscient nor omnipresent. We cannot humanly be expected to know everything and be everywhere at once.
“If lawyers do not adequately guide judges on the law and the facts, we, being human, are inevitably bound to make mistakes,” she said.
Tengku Maimun also said it is becoming a trend for some lawyers to file leave applications although these do not meet the threshold required under Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964.
"It is starting to become an unhealthy norm for some lawyers to file application upon application no matter how unmeritorious or how trivial it is.
“The result is the diversion of valuable but limited judicial time away from good work," she said.
She added that one aspect of the integrity of a lawyer is to not abuse the process of the court.
According to her, an effective justice system, where the rule of law is upheld, is crucial for the stability of the community and the country, and it can only be achieved through cooperation among the key players in the litigation process.
- Bernama

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