ON a bright cheery day in George Town last week, Chief Justice Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh arrived at the Bayan Lepas airport – undeterred by days of storm warnings – to deliver a message far bigger than any weather forecast.
He was there to mark a symbolic break from tradition: the Court of Appeal was sitting outside Putrajaya for the first time in decades, reviving the long-abandoned practice of circuit courts.
What unfolded in Penang last week was more than a ceremonial return to old ways. It was a carefully calculated signal of reform from the nation’s top judge.
As he presided in his signature black-and-white court attire the next day, Wan Ahmad Farid framed the launch of the Court of Appeal on Circuit as a cornerstone in the judiciary’s effort to bring justice closer to the public – not merely geographically, but structurally.
The plan, he said, is to extend the circuit court to the outskirts of Sabah and Sarawak to better serve rural communities too.
For years, lawyers and litigants have endured costly travel to Putrajaya for appellate hearings.
The Chief Justice admitted frankly that centralisation had in some cases become a barrier to justice.
The Penang circuit sitting, he said, was meant to lift that burden, cut travel expenses and turn the appellate process into something ordinary Malaysians can access without logistical strain.
He emphasised that the move answers long-standing calls from senior members of the Bar who wanted appeal hearings brought back to regional centres.
And he positioned it as an investment in the next generation: a live courtroom “classroom” for young lawyers who can now observe high-stakes proceedings without leaving their state.
The impact goes beyond the courtroom. For the Prisons Department, transporting accused persons to Putrajaya has long been a high-risk, resource-heavy operation.
Shorter distances mean reduced security risks – a point Wan Ahmad Farid highlighted as part of a broader drive to streamline the justice pipeline.
But the deeper crisis, he admitted, is the backlog. On his way to lunch after the launch, he was stopped by a group of journalists, all asking about the caseload crushing the courts.
He revealed that some judges are wrestling with up to 800 files – a load he warned “no system can sustainably firefight”.
Hiring more judges, he said, is only a temporary fix.
The real pressure valve lies in expanding mediation, handled by trained professionals rather than court officers. Other jurisdictions have shown it works and he believes Malaysia must follow suit.
The Penang engagement capped a whirlwind 24 hours: he returned from Riyadh late on Tuesday, reported in to Putrajaya the next morning and then flew north.
Yet, the energy remained coursing through his speeches – powered by passion for reform and maybe a plate of lamb kurma served during lunch. The kurma, he said, was his favourite.
By late afternoon, he was already back in Putrajaya working on the next phase of judicial improvements.
Wan Ahmad Farid’s latest move reveals a judiciary grappling with the tension between tradition and modernisation.
Reintroducing circuit courts is a nod to the past, but the motivation is decidedly forward-looking: decentralisation, cost reduction, talent development and systemic unclogging.
As he put it in Penang, the new circuit court is intended as a “beacon of justice”, a structural bridge between Malaysians and their legal remedies – one that could help fortify the judiciary for generations.
Yesterday, at a meet-and-greet with the media on the occasion of his first 100 days as top judge, he again emphasised his intention of resetting the judicial system.
The cloud of inertia has long hovered over the judiciary and his move was a ray of sunlight as bright as the sunny sky in Penang last week.
For families who have waited in uncertainty as cases drag on, the reforms hint at a future where justice is not only delivered – but delivered in time to matter.
