Courtroom technology: a case study of Shariah court in Malaysia

Malaysian legal system is derived from the English Common Law tradition and characterised by substantial flexibility. Among the flexibilities is the existence of a special court for Muslims, administering family matters based on Islamic jurisprudence, the Shariah law. Both Civil and Shariah courts in Malaysia stand side by side for more than 50 years. Today, with the application of information and communication technology, both courts has transformed the way they operate in delivering justice to the people. The measures taken to maintain quality, integrity and security of court records facilitate jurists to access complete information on case facts, relevant laws and precedents to decide cases in speedy manner. The most significant benefits of these technologies is the integration of State Shariah Courts in various jurisdictions of Malaysia which provides for the standardisation of practice and technology and at the same time provides jurists a one-stop solution for consultations regarding interpretations of Shariah Law and derivation of precedents in the light of decisions taken before. Here, the role of technology extends from mere record management technology to business intelligent oriented decision support tools.