JURISDICTIONAL OVERLAP BETWEEN THE CIVIL COURTS AND THE SYARIAH COURTS: ANALYSIS AND SOLUTIONS

Malaysia adopts a dual judicial system which separates the jurisdiction of the Civil Courts and the Syariah Courts as provided under the Federal Constitution. This division is primarily based on Article 121(1A) and the State List in the Ninth Schedule, which empowers the State Legislative Assemblies to enact laws relating to Islamic affairs. However, in practice, the separation is not without overlap, particularly in matters involving religious status, marriage and divorce, child custody, and Syariah criminal offences. Such overlap arises when the jurisdictional conditions of the Syariah Courts—namely that the parties must be Muslims and the subject matter must fall within Paragraph 1 of the State List—intersect or conflict with the jurisdiction of the Civil Courts. This has led the Courts, especially the Federal Court, to resolve interpretative conflicts through case law, as seen in Latifah bte Mat Zin, Indira Gandhi, Iki Putra Mubarrak and Nik Elin Zurina. This study examines the historical basis of the judicial division, clarifies the jurisdictional scope of both Courts, evaluates the issues of overlap that arise, and proposes recommendations for harmonising the judicial system to ensure clarity, coherence, and effective administration of justice in Malaysia’s plural society.

Malaysia mengamalkan sistem kehakiman dwi-bidang kuasa yang memisahkan Mahkamah Sivil dan Mahkamah Syariah berdasarkan kerangka Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Pembahagian ini berasaskan Perkara 121(1A) serta Senarai Negeri dalam Jadual Kesembilan yang memberi kuasa kepada Dewan Undangan Negeri untuk menggubal undang-undang berkaitan hal ehwal Islam. Namun, pelaksanaan pembahagian tersebut tidak bebas daripada pertindihan, khususnya dalam kes berkaitan status agama, perkahwinan, perceraian, hak penjagaan anak dan kesalahan jenayah Syariah. Pertindihan berlaku apabila syarat bidang kuasa Mahkamah Syariah—iaitu pihak-pihak mesti beragama Islam dan subjek tuntutan mestilah termasuk dalam ruang lingkup Perenggan 1 Senarai Negeri—bertindih atau bertentangan dengan bidang kuasa Mahkamah Sivil. Keadaan ini menyebabkan Mahkamah, khususnya Mahkamah Persekutuan, terpaksa menyelesaikan konflik tafsiran undang-undang melalui keputusan kes seperti Latifah bte Mat Zin, Indira Gandhi, Iki Putra Mubarrak dan Nik Elin Zurina. Kajian ini menelusuri asas sejarah pengasingan kuasa Kehakiman, menjelaskan skop bidang kuasa kedua-dua Mahkamah, menilai isu pertindihan yang timbul serta mengemukakan cadangan penambahbaikan ke arah penyelarasan sistem kehakiman yang lebih harmonis, jelas dan berfungsi secara efektif dalam konteks masyarakat majmuk Malaysia.