Mohamed Dzaiddin CJ:

This was an application by the respondents to set aside the judgment of this court pronounced by the Deputy Registrar on 22 December 2000 on the ground that it was a nullity.

Background

By a civil suit filed by the appellants in the High Court at Shah Alam, the appellants who were the plaintiffs, sued the respondents, inter alia, for a declaration that the transfer of 100 shares of Peringkat Juta (M) Sdn Bhd (the company) by the plaintiffs to the respondents was null and void by reason of fraudulent misrepresentation. At the conclusion of the trial, the learned judge dismissed the plaintiffs' claim with costs. On appeal, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the High Court. The appellants then filed an application to the Federal Court for leave to appeal. On 20 February 1998, leave was granted and the appeal came up for disposal on 3 August 1998 before Tun Mohd Eusoff bin Chin, Chief Justice, Dato' Wan Adnan Ismail, Chief Judge Malaya and Dato' Zakaria Yatim, FCJ. After hearing counsel, judgment was reserved to a date to be fixed.

On 19 December 2000, the parties' solicitors were informed by the Deputy Registrar of the Federal Court that judgment in respect of the above appeal would be pronounced in open court on Friday 22 December 2000 at 9am. The material part of the letter (NSK6) reads:

Adalah dimaklumkan bahawa keputusan/penghakiman Mahkamah Persekutuan berkenaan dengan rayuan ini akan diumumkan di hadapan Mahkamah Persekutuan Malaysia di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Jumaat 22 Disember 2000 jam 9.00 pagi.(emphasis added)

On 22 December 2000, the Deputy Registrar pronounced the judgment of the Federal Court in the presence of counsel for the parties, allowing the appeal of the appellants with costs.

It was a short judgment, devoid of any reasoning, which reads as follows:

Decision of the Court

The Federal Court has agreed that this appeal be allowed with costs to be paid by the respondents in favour of the appellants here and in the courts below and further made the following consequential orders.

a) That the respondent do within 14 days of this order cause their Company Secretary to hand over the statutory books and documents of the company to the appellants.

b) That the respondent do forthwith execute the Memorandum of Transfer in respect of all the shares in the respondent's company in favour of the appellants and to hand the seal together with their respective share certificates to the appellants.

c) That the respondent and the Company do pass the requisite resolutions and further do all acts, deeds or documents necessary to give effect to the aforesaid orders.

d) That in the event of the respondents and/or the Company Secretary failing to carry out and fulfil any of the order stated herein the SAR of the High Court is empowered to carry out such acts.

Sgd.

MOHD EUSOFF CHIN

19/12/2000

Sgd.

WAN ADNAN ISMAIL

19/12/2000

On 29 December 2000, the appellants' solicitors submitted to the Federal Court Registry a draft copy of the order, the relevant part of which states as follows:

KORAM: YANG AMAT ARIF TUN DATO' SERI HAJI MOHD EUSOFF BIN CHIN,

KETUA HAKIM NEGARA

YANG AMAT ARIF DATO' WAN ADNAN BIN ISMAIL,

HAKIM BESAR MALAYA

YANG ARIF DATO' DR ZAKARIA BIN MOHD YATIM, H.M.P.

PADA MAHKAMAH TERBUKA

PADA 22 HARIBULAN DISEMBER 2000

PERINTAH

ATAS RAYUANyang dikemukakan kepada Mahkamah pada hari ini oleh Dr Cyrus Das (dengan Encik CK Tan dan Encik Mohandass bersamanya) peguam bagi pihak Pemohon-Pemohon dengan kehadiran Encik SS Muker peguam bagi Responden (dengan Encik Satvinder Singh bersamanya) DAN SETELAH MEMBACARekod Rayuan yang difailkan di sini DAN SETELAH MENDENGARpeguam-peguam tersebut ADALAH DIPERINTAHKANbahawa rayuan oleh Perayu-Perayu dibenarkan dengan kos di sini dan di Mahkamah Rayuan dan Mahkamah Tinggi, Shah Alam dan perintah-perintah berikutnya diberikan:

(a) Responden dikehendaki dalam masa Empatbelas (14) hari dari tarikh perintah ini mengarahkan Setiausaha Syar