KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — History will be created tomorrow in the country’s syariah judicial system when the Perak Syariah Supreme Court convenes for the first time since the announcement of its establishment in the State Legislative Assembly on December 5, 2018.

The three-member panel will be chaired by Perak Syariah Chief Judge Datuk Asa’ari Mohd Yazid. The two other judges on the panel are former Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Syariah Chief Judge Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.

The panel will hear an application for leave to appeal involving a matrimonial property case.

Mohd Na’im, who is also Syariah Judiciary Department (JKSM) director-general, said Perak is the first state in the country to have four levels of syariah courts, with the Supreme Court as the apex court.

"For other states, so far, there are only three levels of syariah courts, namely the Subordinate Court, High Court and Appeals Court,” he told Bernama when contacted today.

The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah consented to the establishment of the Syariah Supreme Court.

Mohd Na’im said for cases that started at the Syariah High Court level such as matrimonial property claim and hadanah (custody), the right to appeal was only once in the Syariah Court of Appeal even though most of the cases were serious and the value of the claim was higher.

"With the existence of the Syariah Supreme Court, which is another layer of court after the Syariah Court of Appeal, the disputing parties will have the opportunity to appeal twice,” he said.

Mohd Na’im said the department was also planning to set up Syariah Supreme Court in the Federal Territories first before expanding it to other states.

"However, it depends on the consent of the Sultan, the state religious councils and the state governments,” he said. — Bernama