In a speech at the opening of the legal year today, he said judges were duty-bound to provide their grounds of judgment according to eight-week deadlines.

“I understand some lawyers who have filed appeals are frustrated because they cannot get the appeals court to proceed with their cases due to no grounds of judgment.

“I know there are many unwritten grounds of judgment. And there are limits to what we can do to help (judges) who are struggling.

“We cannot allow the machinery of justice to be clogged. You know who you are,” he said.

Wan Ahmad Farid likened the cases pending in the appeals court to dishes in an open kitchen, saying it was up to the judges in “service” to hear and dispose of cases in a timely manner.

“If the heat is no longer to your liking, an exit remains a dignified option,” he said.

He later told reporters it was up to those who heard his speech today – judges, court staff and lawyers from the government and private practice – to interpret its meaning.

He also said the cases held up in the Court of Appeal due to unavailable grounds of judgment were mostly civil.

“We have the numbers (of cases), but we are not disclosing them,” he said.

On a separate matter, Wan Ahmad Farid said the judiciary did not respond to public criticism of its judgments, even in the recent cases involving former prime minister Najib Razak.

He also said that critics should “read our written judgments” to understand court rulings.