Malacca Court History
Introduction
Civil Courts in in Malaysia are generally divided into several types according to the law of their establishment. For example, the Subordinate Courts Act 1948 provides for the establishment of the Magistrates’ Court and the Sessions Court, while the Courts of Judicature Act 1964 provides for the establishment of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court. This division of Courts is based on their respective jurisdictions.
Courts in the State of Malacca
In the State of Malacca, there are generally three main Court buildings which are the Malacca Court Complex in Ayer Keroh, the Alor Gajah Court Complex and the Jasin Magistrates’ Court.
In the Malacca Court Complex, there are two High Courts that hear cases under the jurisdiction of the High Court, three Sessions Courts and four Magistrates’ Courts that hear cases under the jurisdiction of the Subordinate Courts and in the Central Malacca District.
In the Alor Gajah Court Complex, there is a Sessions Court and a Magistrates’ Court. Alor Gajah Sessions Court Judge also sat in the PATI Court at Machap Umboo Depot.
In the Jasin Magistrates’ Court, there is a Magistrates’ Court that hears cases under the jurisdiction of the Magistrate that fall within the jurisdiction of the Jasin District.
History of Malacca State Court
The old Court building is located at the foot of St Paul Hill, Banda Hilir, Malacca. This building is a school building that built around 1884 for the Malacca Free School which was later renamed as Malacca High School. The Court began occupying the building in 1931 when Malacca High School moved to a new building in Jalan Chan Koon Cheng, Banda Hilir. The Malacca Court had operated in this old building for 65 years since 1931, that is until 1995 when the Malacca Court Complex’s construction was completed in 1995.
While operating in this building, there is 1 High Court, 2 Sessions Courts and 2 Magistrates’ Courts. The address of the old building is Peti Box 80, Jalan Banda Kaba.
Currently, the building has been declared as the Historical Heritage Building of Malacca and gazetted under the Preservation and Conservation of Cultural Heritage Enactment 1988.
Gambar Mahkamah Melaka Lama
Malacca Court Complex
The new and magnificent Melaka Court Complex is located at Lot 2434, Lebuh Ayer Keroh. This court area covers an area of 4.4 acres and is located approximately 10 km from Melaka City.
The construction project of this building started on 7 January 1994 and was completed on 15 September 1995. This building which has 4 blocks covers an area of 132,598 square feet and its construction has cost RM21.04 million.
The unique and distinctive design of the complex is the result of the creation of Architects from Ikatan Cipta Bina. Although the construction project only started in 1994, the planning for this project began seawall in 1988 when the project consultant was appointed. The implementation of earthworks started on the date of handover of the site which was on 14 March 1991 and was completed on 30 January 1992.
After the Court Complex building was completed, the relocation work from the court building in Banda Hilir was done in stages until the entire building was filled. The Melaka Court Complex has three floors, namely the Ground Floor, the 1st Floor and the 2nd Floor.
The Malacca Court Complex was inaugurated by His Excellency, Tun Datuk Seri Utama Syed Ahmad Al-Haj bin Syed Mahmud Shahabudin on 26 October 1996.
This complex is divided into 4 Blocks which are Blocks A, B, C and D. Since the Melaka Court operated in this new complex in 1996, the Court only used Blocks A, B and C. In 2002, the Melaka State Syariah Court operated in Block D until on 1 February 2013, the Syariah Court moved to the new Malacca State Syariah Court Complex in Jalan Lama Ayer Keroh and handed Block D back to the Civil Court in 2015.
Since the Melaka State Court completely took over the Melaka Court Complex, various improvements and constructions have been carried out. Now, this Complex has 2 High Court Courtrooms, 3 Sessions Court Courtrooms and 4 Magistrate Court Courtrooms. Apart from that, there is a Registry Office for each court which is the High Court, the Sessions Court and the Magistrate's Court.
This complex also houses 1 Lawyer's Room, 1 Deputy Prosecutor's Room, 1 Meeting Room, 1 Auditorium and Seminar Room built in 2015, Melaka Court Mediation Center built in 2018, 1 Library and 1 cafeteria.
In 2019, the Melaka Court also provided a Breastfeeding Room in Block D to provide a more comfortable and suitable atmosphere for mothers who deal in the Court such as lawyers, members of the public and also the staff of the Melaka Court. The provision of these facilities can certainly support them while carrying out their daily work duties and at the same time carrying out their responsibilities as a mother.
This Court Complex is the center of all courts in the state and provides facilities for lawyers and litigants to carry out their judicial affairs.
Photos of The New Malacca Court
The Alor Gajah Sessions Court complex houses 1 Sessions Court and 1 Magistrate's Court.
In the past, in the Alor Gajah district there was only 1 Magistrate's Court which was located on Alor Gajah Court Road which is close to the Alor Gajah District and Land Office. However, the building was no longer used after the newly built Alor Gajah Sessions Court Complex.
In 2013, when the ALor Gajah Sessions Court Complex was completed, the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court decided to open 1 Alor Gajah Sessions Court which also served as the Machap Umbo PATI Court.
Photo of Old Alor Gajah Court
Photo of New Alor Gajah Court
In Jasin district, there is a Magistrate's Court. The Jasin Magistrate's Court has been operating in this building since the 1970s. Jasin Court was inaugurated by His Highness Tun Syed Zahiruddin bin Syed Hassan on 23 October 1978.
