PUTRAJAYA - Legal history was created in the Malaysian courts yesterday when an all-female panel presided in the Court of Appeal.

A three-women bench comprising Datin Paduka Zaleha Zahari, Datuk Zainun Ali and Datuk Zaharah Ibrahim sat to preside over appeal cases yesterday.

In the past, a female judge would sit in a male-dominated panel to comprise a quorum of three, five or seven judges in the Court of Appeal or the Federal Court.

Zaleha, Zainun and Zaharah are the only three women among the 23 judges in the Court of Appeal.

Counsel Datuk Bastian Pius Vendargon said this was the first time in his 30-year career that he had appeared before an all-female bench.

“For the first time, I had the distinction of addressing the judges as ‘My Ladies’,” said Vendargon who is among several senior lawyers who frequent the Palace of Justice to represent clients in civil disputes.