Berjaya Hills Resorts Bhd's fight with the Pahang government is no longer only a company-versus-state quarrel over unpaid land tax. It has become a test of how far a state can go when revised quit-rent bills are disputed, and how quickly enforcement can move before the courts are done.
The company has filed for leave to appeal to the Federal Court against a Court of Appeal ruling on July 16, 2026 that upheld Pahang's power to set quit-rent rates without needing National Land Council approval for the actual rates. The leave hearing is fixed for Dec 8, according to The Edge Malaysia, which cited court documents filed by Berjaya Hills' lawyers.
The immediate issue for owners is enforcement. Pahang authorities reportedly forfeited 122 parcels of Berjaya Hills land in Bukit Tinggi on Sept 28 over alleged quit-rent arrears of RM70 million. The Edge reported that the affected premises included staff quarters, a central laundry, a rabbit park and a Japanese garden.
Berjaya Hills' lawyer said the company obtained an ad interim stay from the Temerloh High Court on Sept 29, pending a substantive stay hearing fixed for Nov 27. According to the lawyer's statement reported by The Edge, the order stayed enforcement under Sections 100 and 130 of the National Land Code and required the earlier enforcement action to be reversed. The buildings were unsealed, chains and padlocks were removed and utilities were restored by Sept 30, he said.
The numbers explain why this matters beyond one resort. The state had increased quit rent for 330 parcels from 2020. Berjaya Hills said it had paid about RM42 million for 208 parcels before September 2025, while separate suits in the Temerloh High Court challenge forfeiture proceedings over 122 parcels where RM70 million was imposed.
For landowners and developers, the Federal Court application is the part to watch. The Court of Appeal's earlier reasoning, as reported by The Edge, was that the National Land Council's role is to formulate policy and advise governments, while state authorities determine rent rates under the National Land Code. If the apex court grants leave, the dispute could reopen a question many owners rarely think about until a bill arrives: who checks a state quit-rent revision, and at what point?
Nothing in the current record finally decides the RM70 million forfeiture fight. The temporary stay buys time, but the substantive stay hearing on Nov 27 and the Federal Court leave hearing on Dec 8 are now the two dates that determine whether this remains a halted enforcement action or becomes a wider land-law appeal.
Sources: The Edge Malaysia, New Straits Times, Business Today.
