Lawyers to see status of cases on screens outside courtrooms

PUTRAJAYA: From tomorrow, lawyers will no longer need to confine themselves to courtrooms while waiting for their cases to be called at the Palace of Justice here.

Chief Justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjum said under the Queue Management System, screens would display the status of the cases at the Federal Court and the Court of Appeal.

“From the screens, lawyers will know case numbers, parties involved and the cases being heard and called. The system will provide convenience to lawyers. It is for the benefit of everybody,” he said.

Malanjum inspected the new system at the Palace of Justice’s cafeteria with court officials here yesterday.

It will be implemented “live” tomorrow. It is learnt that the screens will be placed at strategic locations at the Palace of Justice’s building.

Malanjum said it was unfair to make lawyers wait in the courtroom for hours or even an entire day, without doing anything.

The system, he added, would allow lawyers to plan their time or attend to other matters while waiting.

“The system will later be expanded to the Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam court complexes,” said Malanjum.

He said the e-review would also be introduced to enable lawyers to get a date for case management without coming to court.

“This can be done at their offices without having to waste time and money travelling as everything will be online,” he said.

Senior lawyer Jagjit Singh said the system was mooted by Malanjum, adding that the courts in Sabah and Sarawak had implemented the system.