Malaysia Case Law: Decisions & Judgments

Topic

Presumption of parentage (s19b)

Legal area

Court

8 Dec 2025

1. ) B Muniamal Usha a/p V Balakrishnan 2. ) Calvin Joshua a/l Jonny Suresh 1. ) Pengarah Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur 2. ) MENTERI DALAM NEGERI MALAYSIA 3. ) Kerajaan Malaysia

Citation

WA-24-69-07/2024 (Mahkamah Tinggi)
Court

High Court
Case number

WA-24-69-07/2024 (Mahkamah Tinggi)

The court found the 2nd Plaintiff was abandoned at birth and therefore a newborn 'found exposed' within the meaning of s19B Part III; invoking s19B raised a presumption that the child was born of a mother permanently resident in the Federation which, together with birth within the Federation, satisfied s1(a) Part II of the Second Schedule and Article 14(1)(b), and the Defendants failed to rebut that presumption; consequently the 2nd Plaintiff is a Malaysian citizen by operation of law and the court ordered administrative relief to effect that status.
28 Nov 2025

1. ) ALAN KNOWLES 2. ) ALEXANDRA FRANCES MARY KNOWLES 1. ) KETUA PENGARAH JABATAN PENDAFTARAN NEGARA 2. ) MENTERI DALAM NEGERI MALAYSIA 3. ) Kerajaan Malaysia

Citation

WA-24-19-03/2023 (Mahkamah Tinggi)
Court

High Court
Case number

WA-24-19-03/2023 (Mahkamah Tinggi)

Applicants failed to discharge the burden to prove the child was a newborn found exposed and thus could not invoke the s19B presumption of a mother permanently resident in Malaysia; without that presumption or proof of lineage or statelessness at birth the child does not meet the jus sanguinis requirement in Part II s1(a) or s1(e) of the Second Schedule and therefore is not a Malaysian citizen by operation of law under Article 14(1)(b); the originating summons is dismissed.

Malaysia Case Law

1. ) B Muniamal Usha a/p V Balakrishnan 2. ) Calvin Joshua a/l Jonny Suresh 1. ) Pengarah Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur 2. ) MENTERI DALAM NEGERI MALAYSIA 3. ) Kerajaan Malaysia

1. ) ALAN KNOWLES 2. ) ALEXANDRA FRANCES MARY KNOWLES 1. ) KETUA PENGARAH JABATAN PENDAFTARAN NEGARA 2. ) MENTERI DALAM NEGERI MALAYSIA 3. ) Kerajaan Malaysia