Fresh evidence admitted in Melaka convent land appeal
The Court of Appeal in Malaysia has permitted Catholic mission organizations to introduce new historical evidence in a land ownership dispute regarding the Sacred Heart Canossian Convent in Melaka. The court ruled that the documents, found in the National Archives, were discovered with reasonable diligence.
Why it matters
This ruling could significantly impact the legal outcome of a long-standing property dispute involving historical religious sites.
The Sacred Heart Canossian Convent in Banda Hilir, Melaka, has existed since 1905. (Facebook pic)
PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has allowed two Catholic mission organisations to introduce fresh historical evidence in their appeal over the ownership of land occupied by the Sacred Heart Canossian Convent in Banda Hilir, Melaka.
A three-member bench chaired by Justice Firuz Jaffril ruled that the appellants had met the legal threshold for admitting new evidence after trial, finding they had exercised reasonable diligence in searching for documents related to the disputed land known as Lot 6.
Justices Ismail Brahim and Dean Wayne Daly were also on the panel that heard the application last month.
Delivering the court's broad grounds of judgment, Firuz said the newly admitted evidence comprised official correspondence exchanged in 1936 between the owner of Lot 6 and the then Melaka municipality, preserved at the National Archives of Malaysia.
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