KUANTAN: The Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today said that case resolution at the state’s syariah courts could be empowered with the use of technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) in driving the development of the syariah judiciary institution.
The Sultan cited the court recording transcription (CRT) system, which is used to record and transcribe trials electronically and automatically, can allow judges to focus fully on proceedings without any distractions of writing.
“Also, the CRT system speeds up the registration of cases and its processes. I hope that the state government will provide allocations to the Syariah Court to implement this system during proceedings,” His Royal Highness said at the Pahang state Syariah Judiciary Department’s officers and judges appointment ceremony at Istana Abdulaziz here today.
The Sultan expressed confidence that the judges’ appointment process was the core in upholding justice and protecting human rights as well as to ensure consistent compliance, which would boost public belief in a fair and just judiciary system with integrity.
“I’m very concerned about the rise in criminal syariah issues in Pahang. With the appointment of the Syarie chief prosecutor, who has complete control over syariah criminal cases, I’m convinced all cases can be settled fairly and effectively in line with the legal provisions.
“The case backlog in the Syariah Court needs to be given attention especially divorce cases so that they can be expedited,” the Sultan said, adding that the previous divorce case settlement would take one to nine months but with the Hakam Method, it would require only one to four months to resolve.
“The effectiveness of this approach is proven when 828 cases were settled from 2023 to 2024. Strengthening and implementing the Hakam Method will hopefully provide a positive impact in resolving Muslim issues in Pahang,” Al-Sultan Abdullah added.
