Edham Bin Sakmad v 1. ) Kinsamewa Sdn Bhd 2. ) Director Of Lands & Surveys, Sabah 3. ) Assistant Collector Of Land Revenues , Kota Belud

s-01a-182-03-2022 Court of Appeal (Mahkamah Rayuan) 9 February 2026 • S-01(A)-182-03/2022 • 52 min read
51 cases cited (0 SG, 51 foreign)

Outcome

Our Decision [73] Premised on the High Court’s errors as explained above, we are constrained to allow this appeal and set aside the decision of the High Court.15 [74] We enter the following judgment: (1) The appeal is allowed upon terms as follows: (a) Hj Sakmad Bin Hj Muhammad (Deceased} had customary20 tenure in the land contained in land application No.224 of 1958 measuring 150 acres and situate at Kg Rampayan Ulu, Kota Belud, Sabah now held under the estate of Hj Sakmad Bin Hj Muhammad (Deceased).

Quoted verbatim from the judgment of Court of Appeal (Mahkamah Rayuan) (s-01a-182-03-2022). Read the full judgment on the official Malaysia Courts portal for the complete decision.

Catchwords

Native Customary Rights - Customary tenure - Continuous occupation - Cultivation requirement - Abandonment of land - Inheritance of Native Customary Rights – Native Customary Rights by possession - Director of Lands & Surveys - Assistant Collector of Land Revenues - Alienation of land - Indefeasibility of Title - Estate administration – Issuance of Land Title – Administrator of Estate.

Practice Areas

Land Law

Judges (3)

Mohd Firuz bin Jaffril Coram Supang Lian Delivered Wan Ahmad Farid bin Wan Salleh Coram

Parties (4)

Kinsamewa Sdn Bhd Respondent Assistant Collector Of Land Revenues , Kota Belud Respondent Director Of Lands & Surveys, Sabah Respondent Edham bin Sakmad Appellant

Statutes Cited

Courts of Judicature Act 1964 (Cap 91)
Land Ordinance
s 13 s 65 s 9
Land Ordinance 1930
s 65
Land Rules 1913
s 26 s 4
Rules of Court 2012
Sarawak Land Code
s 49 s 5(3)

Cases Cited (51)

UK (11)
[1923] AC 253 [1955] 1 All ER 326 [1955] 2 WLR 418 [1955] AC 370 [1959] 1 All ER 734 [1959] 2 WLR 476 [1959] AC 248 [1971] 2 All ER 475 [1971] 2 QB 528 [1971] 2 WLR 711 [1977] 1 All ER 505
MY (40)
[1964] 1 MLJ 87 [1964] MLJ 87 [1975] 1 MLJ 208 [1975] 1 MLJ 2085 [1991] 2 CLJ 1524 [1994] 1 MLRH 571 [1994] 3 CLJ 229 [1994] 3 MLJ 361 [1994] 4 CLJ 300 [1994] 45 CLJ 300 [1996] 1 MLJ 843 [1996] 2 MLJ 517 [1996] 3 CLJ 163 [1997] 1 AMR 997 [1997] 1 MLJ 94 [1997] 125 AMR 997 [1997] MLJU 484 [1999] 4 MLJ 177 [2001] 4 MLJ 140 [2005] MLJU 117 [2007] 6 CLJ 509 [2008] 2 MLJ 677 [2010] 18 MLRH 751 [2011] 3 MLJ 498 [2014] 5 MLJ 873 [2014] AMEJ 341 [2017] 6 MLJ 1 [2018] 1 MLJ 77 [2020] 10 CLJ 1 [2020] 5 MLJ 587 [2020] MLJU 1155 [2021] AMEJ 1874 [2022] 1 AMR 617 [2022] 1 CLJ 331 [2022] 1 MLJ 778 [2023] 2 CLJ 403 [2023] 2 MLJ 486 [2025] 3 MLJ 573 [2025] MLJU 31 [2025] MLJU 311

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Malaysia Courts portal.

Read on eJudgment

Source: eJudgment (s-01a-182-03-2022)