Seniority is not the main criteria for judges to be elevated to the Federal Court, said Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Ahmad today.

He said promotions also depend on their merits and other factors while seniority is just a factor to be considered.

"There is no guarantee that if you a senior (judge), you can state that this is your merit and that you are the best. Just because you are senior does not mean you are the best.

"Sometimes, the junior (judges) can be better than their seniors," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Ahmad Fairuz was asked to comment on the selection criteria for judges to sit in the Federal Court following the retirement of four judges by the end of this year, including Abdul Kadir Sulaiman who retired today.

Long process

The chief justice said if a junior judge has the merit and other factors better than the senior judge, the former would be promoted.

Asked who would replace Abdul Kadir, he said there were many candidates and they would be short-listed soon.

Ahmad Fairuz said it would be difficult to predict the time frame required to fill in the vacant posts since there are many processes involved in the selection of a judge.

Many have cried foul over the lack of transparency in the selection process of judicial appointments.

The Malaysian Bar had previously called for the establishment of an independent Judicial Services Commission to oversee judicial appointments.

Speaking at a function in Kuala Lumpur earlier, Ahmad Fairuz said the judiciary is proposing to implement a time limit for hearing cases.

For criminal cases, it should be between three to six months while for civil matters, it should be dealt with within two years.