Lawyer and DAP veteran Karpal Singh has come out in defence of Penang sessions court judge Chan Jit Li, who has come under fire from the Bar Council for having given him a hug after adjudicating on his case recently.
In a statement today, Karpal, who was awarded RM2 million by the court in the matter involving his accident in 2005, which left him wheelchair-bound, said Chan should not be punished for being human.
“What she did was an act of compassion, in open court, which should not be defaulted in any way. It would be wrong to castigate her or subject her to any form of disciplinary action,” he said.
He noted that Chan, who was reported to have given Karpal a “slight hug” after delivering the verdict had also mentioned in open court that she knew him personally.
“No objection was made by Bala Mahesa who appeared for (the other party) to recuse her for adjudicating in the matter, on grounds of her being biased or, for that matter, on any ground,” Karpal said.
Admitting that he first came to know Chan as a 11-year-old schoolgirl through her uncle, the senior politician said that most Malaysians would be able to say that they know him.
In fact, he said, after the accident, many have approached him and hugged him to express support.
In fact, he said, after the accident, many have approached him and hugged him to express support.
‘Who does not know Karpal?’
“Who does not know Karpal Singh? After my accident, many, including women, have come to me and hugged me, with some weeping over my plight. This is understandable,” he said.
Likewise, the sessions court judge was also “overcome by emotion” when she shook his right hand, which he could no longer raise because of the accident.
“Who does not know Karpal Singh? After my accident, many, including women, have come to me and hugged me, with some weeping over my plight. This is understandable,” he said.
Likewise, the sessions court judge was also “overcome by emotion” when she shook his right hand, which he could no longer raise because of the accident.
“In the process she gave me a slight hug. It was not a bear hug. Her action was spontaneous, coming from one human being to another who is disabled,” he said.
However, Karpal added, the concern raised by Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee yesterday was “understandable”.
Besides Chan, Lim also called for the censure of Court of Appeal judge Abdul Malik Ishak following allegations that he had plagiarised a judgment written by a Singapore judge in 2000.
A motion has been brought up in Parliament against Justice Abdul Malik following the plagiarism allegation.
Karpal, who drafted the motion with the support of close to 60 Pakatan Rakyat MPs, is calling for the setting up of a tribunal to hear the complaint against Justice Abdul Malik.
