Choong Yeow Choy J:

JUDGMENT

Introduction

[1]There’s many a slip between the cup and the lip. Perhaps this proverb best captures the essence of what has come to be known as the Slip Rule in civil litigation. Even with the best of endeavours by a litigant in preparing or drafting the final judgment or order for the Court’s seal, inadvertent mistakes may still occur. The law, recognising this reality, confers upon the courts a limited power to correct accidental slips or omissions in a judgment or order without the need to reopen the entire case. In Malaysia, this power, commonly referred to as the Slip Rule, is encapsulated in Order 20 rule 11 of the Rules of Court 2012.

[2]In the present application in Enclosure 19, the Plaintiff urged this Court to invoke its power under the Slip Rule to amend an Order of this Court dated 6 August, 2025. The Defendant, however, vehemently opposed such invocation, contending that what the Plaintiff seeks to achieve goes beyond the scope and intention of Order 20 rule 11.

The Core Issue

[3]The central issue for determination is whether the amendments sought in Enclosure 19 fall within the narrow ambit of the Slip Rule as contemplated by law and in Order 20 rule 11 of the Rules of Court 2012.

Pertinent Background Facts

[4]The Plaintiff has succeeded in obtaining on order from this Court ordering the removal of private caveats lodged by the Defendant on two parcels of land belonging to the Plaintiff. The private caveats were entered on 29 October, 2024.

[5]The relevant parts of the Order of this Court dated 6 August, 2025 read as follows.

1.Bahawa Kaveat-kaveat Persendirian yang didaftarkan oleh Defendan pada 29.10.2024 masing-masing di bawah No. Perserahan 0799B2024014145 dan No. Perserahan 0799B2024014146 (kemudian daripada ini dirujuk sebagai “kaveat-kaveat tersebut”) ke atas masing-masing hartanah-hartanah yang dikenali sebagai No. Hakmilik Geran 45906, No. Lot 10144 (dahulunya GRN 174962, No. Lot 10067), Seksyen 1Seksyen 1

2.Bahawa Pendaftar Hakmilik Tanah dan/atau pihak berkuasa lain yang re I e van hendaklah memberi kesan kepada Perintah ini;

[6]In Enclosure 19, the Plaintiff sought for paragraph 1 in the above Order to be amended pursuant to Order 20 rule 11 of the Rules of Court 2012 in the following manner.

1.Bahawa Kaveat-kaveat Persendirian yang didaftarkan oleh Defendan pada 29.10.2024 masing-masing di bawah No. Perserahan 0799B2024014145 dan No. Perserahan 0799B2024014146 (kemudian daripada ini dirujuk sebagai “kaveat-kaveat tersebut”) ke atas masing-masing hartanah-hartanah yang dikenali sebagai No. Hakmilik Gepan HSD 45906, No. Lot 10144 (dahulunya GRN 174962, No. Lot 10067), Seksyen 1Seksyen 1

2.Bahawa Pendaftar Hakmilik Tanah dan/atau pihak berkuasa lain yang relevan hendaklah memberi kesan kepada Perintah ini;

[7]It is evident that the amendment sought herein is confined solely to the rectification of the description of the land in the said Order, namely the misdescription of the title, referenced as “No. Hakmilik Geran 45906, No. Lot 10144 (dahulunya GRN 174962, No. Lot 10067) Seksyen 1Seksyen 1

[8]Be that as it may, the reliefs sought by the Plaintiff in Enclosure 19 go beyond the mere substitution of “Geran” with “HSD”. The additional reliefs sought, inter alia, are as follows:

That the particulars of the property “No. Hakmilik Geran 45906, No. Lot 10144 (dahulunya GRN 174962, No. Lot 10067) Seksyen 1Seksyen 1

That the said amendment be exempted from being made to any other cause papers filed in this action prior to the said Order in this action.

The Plaintiff’s Case in Support of Enclosure 19

[9]The Plaintiff characterized the amendment sought to the Order dated 6 August, 2025 as no more than “a clerical slip and/or error in the description of the land in the said Order.”

[10]According to the Plaintiff, the rectification is necessary to ensure that the Order “accurately reflects the manifest intention of this Honourable Court in allowing the Plaintiff’s Originating Summons [Enclosure 1].”

[11]Th