25. First Class Judiciary

Bar Council President, Ambiga Sreenevasan, yesterday urged Minister in the Prime Minister's department to focus on the issue of restoring credibility of the judiciary rather than on lawyers and whistleblowers.

She was commenting on Nazri's remarks at a news portal which branded lawyers as "crazy people" for showing dissatisfaction over the country's judiciary by taking part in the "March for Justice" on 26th September.

She said " We want a strong and first class judiciary which we are capable of having. There are many honest and hard working judges and we are entitled to have an institution that is scandal free.

She also said " it would be wrong to ignore the views expressed by those who participated in the march ..."

"Our only motive is a strong judiciary and what is wrong with that?" she added.

Read Bernama's full article here.

I would not like to comment on anything more than what was said by the President of the Bar Council because it would amount to breaking the draconian laws against free speech. Similarly the lawyers too have been hushed up. But that does not mean everything is alright. It is not that the lawyers are crazy, but there is a crisis. 2000 of them cannot be wrong and take part in a protest ( because they cannot speak out), forgoing their day's work. A first class Bench with a third class Bar or vice versa i.e. a first class Bar with a third class Bench will not bring First Class Justice. The retired former judges have spoken. So have the lawyers. And the citizens. The ball is now in the court of the Government or whoever is in charge of the Judiciary or appoints them.