When Sultan Azlan Shah was Lord President of the Federal Court, he was well known for his well-written judgments and flawless English.
Court reporters also remember him as a firm Lord President but was approachable when it came to the press.
"He was friendly to the court reporters," said retired Bernama journalist Ratna Melan, who was a court reporter for 10 to 15 years.
Another Bernama retiree Janine Koay remembers the late Sultan for his well-written judgments.
"He wrote good judgments in perfect English," said Koay who was on the court beat for close to 15 years.
However, at times the rather stern Sultan Azlan Shah, who became the youngest Lord President ever in 1982, could give young rookie court reporters the shivers.
When a rookie Bernama court reporter was asked to see him in chambers, she worried a lot on how to address him – should it be Your Lordship, or should it be His Highness since the Lord President was of royal blood.
Veteran court reporters provided the advice.
However, it turned out that she needed not worry because once in the Lord President's chambers, the Lord President merely wanted to hand over a written judgment. And he did that in a swift manner, without the rookie reporter having to utter any word except 'thank you'.
She was then ushered out of the room, with a sigh of relief.
Sultan Azlan Shah might be firm and strict as Lord President but he recognised the role of court reporters in reporting cases.
The late Sultan Azlan Shah was not only the youngest Lord President, he was also the youngest to be appointed high court judge in the Commonwealth at the age of 37 in 1965.
In 1973, he was made a Federal Court judge at the age of 45 and six years later in 1979, Chief Justice of Malaya, an office which he held until his appointment as the youngest-ever Lord President of the Federal Court of Malaysia on Nov 12, 1982 at the age of 54.
However, he held the post of Lord President for a short time as he was installed as the Raja Muda of Perak on July 1, 1983 at the age of 55.
On Feb 3, 1984 at the age of 56, he was installed as the Sultan of Perak after the death of Sultan Idris.
The late Sultan Azlan Shah obtained his law degree from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom when he was 25. He enrolled for the degree at the age of 22.
He was admitted to the English Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn at age 26.
The late Sultan started his judicial career as a first class magistrate and then as Sessions Court president. He was subsequently appointed as federal counsel and deputy public prosecutor.
His other posts in the judiciary included Pahang state legal adviser and later of Johor, registrar of the High Court of Malaya and chief registrar of the Federal Court.
Bernama
Wed May 28 2014
Perak Sultan, Sultan Azlan Shah, 86, passed away at 1.30pm today.
Motorcycling - Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after intense battle with Martin
The 31-year-old, third in the championship standings, has now won the Australian MotoGP four times in the premier class.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.
Astro AWANI's revamped English news website, AWANI International, launches on Oct 21
Astro AWANI's revamped English platform delivers in-depth global news and expert analysis to keep you informed on key developments.