KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Malaysia does not have enough judges to deal with the growing workload, as the number of court cases had surged in the past few years by up to 50 and 60 per cent, Chief Justice of Malaysia Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said today.

In his speech at the Opening of the Legal Year 2026, Wan Ahmad Farid said there has been a significant and continued increase in new cases being filed at all court levels.

He gave these statistics:

  • Criminal case registrations: Rose from 1,522,005 cases (2021) to 2,486,567 cases (November 2025) = 63.37 per cent increase;
  • Civil case registrations: Rose from 303,335 cases (2021) to 483,933 cases (November 2025) = 59.54 per cent increase.

“These figures reflect a structural trend rather than a temporary surge. Looking at it positively, a more litigious society is a society that has faith in its judiciary,” he said.

He took a positive view, saying it shows Malaysians have confidence in the judiciary.

But he also contrasted the high volume and complexity of court cases against the current number of judges, who total 482.

The number of judges and their placement are as follows:

  • 147 judges at the Superior Courts (14 Federal Court judges, 27 Court of Appeal judges, 68 High Court judges, 38 judicial commissioners at the High Court);
  • 165 judges at the subordinate courts or lower courts (165 Sessions Court judges and 170 magistrates).

“Despite these mounting pressures, judges and judicial officers at all levels continue to discharge their duties with professionalism, diligence, and commitment – trying their level best to ensure that cases are resolved within prescribed timelines,” Wan Ahmad Farid said of the burden caused by the growing number of new court cases.

He said the courts cannot indefinitely keep up efficiency without matching institutional support, and pointed to the need to have more judges.

“There is a natural limit to how much additional workload can be absorbed without affecting wellbeing and quality of decision-making,” he said.

Malaysia’s judge to population ratio is 1: 239,000 persons 

With a population of about 36 million, this means the country currently has a ratio of one superior court judge for roughly 239,852 people, Wan Ahmad Farid said.

He compared this to Australia, which has roughly one superior court judge for every 124,000 people, and to Canada which has approximately one judge for every 47,000 people.

He said this meant those countries have more sustainable workloads for their judges and court cases could be resolved faster there.

“The implications are clear. The current shortfall in judicial manpower, both at the superior and subordinate court levels, places immense and growing pressure on the justice system,” he said.

Wan Ahmad Farid said Sessions Court judges and magistrates have heavy workloads because of the “limited number of established posts” or “perjawatan” for such positions, which contributes to delays and uneven distribution of workload in different states and districts.

“For these reasons, there is an urgent and pressing need for the government to consider increasing the number of ‘perjawatan’ of judicial officers, especially those serving in the lower courts,” he said.

For superior court judges, he said the Judicial Appointments Commission is reviewing proposals for additional appointments of judges and judicial commissioners, as well as proposals to suggest possible amendments to the Federal Constitution if there is such a need.

Wan Ahmad Farid said the judiciary had last November established a committee to study how to regulate the registration of new cases at all court levels nationwide, and to recommend steps to balance judges’ workload and ways to control new case registrations.

“The key problem identified is that case filings are rising but the number of judges has barely changed, creating an imbalance of workload capacity,” he said, adding that this continued pressure could affect judicial wellbeing and lead to fatigue, stress and burnout.

He said this committee will carry out an extensive study, with an interim report expected this June and the final findings expected by July next year.

Emphasis on quick resolution of commercial court cases 

Wan Ahmad Farid said the judiciary is also “exploring” the appointment of highly specialised lawyers to be judges on a contract basis and to set up a standalone Commercial Court building in Kuala Lumpur, with the aim of strengthening judicial capacity in complex commercial cases.

He also announced that the judiciary will this year establish the International Commercial and Admiralty Division as a new division at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, with the aim of having commercial court cases involving multinational and international companies be decided expeditiously.

Having noted the importance of confidence in courts for investors when deciding where to invest, he said: “If parties can be assured that their disputes will be managed fairly and efficiently, it strengthens confidence in Kuala Lumpur as a place to do business and to resolve disputes.” - malaymail