June 23 , 2000 21:59PM
High Court's Decision Reflects Integrity Of The Judiciary, Says Rais
BAHAU, June 23 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision to grant a lawyer an order stopping the Bar Council from holding an EGM to discuss a motion calling for a probe into alleged improper conduct by Chief Justice of the Federal Court Tun Mohamed Eusoff Chin reflected the integrity of the judiciary.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Rais Yatim said that it also showed that the judiciary was empowered to fully exercise its discretion in dealing with cases before the courts.
He said that this fact should never be disputed by anyone.
"And the decision has proven the independence of the judiciary," he told reporters after attending a gathering of the Indian community at the Glandale Estate in Air Hitam, near here, Friday.
Yesterday, the High Court granted lawyer K. Raja Segaran the order, ruling that there was no basis to call for an EGM on pure allegations which have not been verified.
The judge ruled that the Bar Council should have verified with Dr Rais whether he had in fact made the allegations against Mohamed Eusoff. Dr Rais said that the Bar Council should not despair following the decision as they could still be heard.
"It does not mean that without the EGM the Bar Council could not be heard. Its exco members can still express the views they feel should be expressed even though the EGM cannot be held," he said.
The minister said that he was prepared to listen to views if the Bar Council wish to have dialogues with other parties including his department.
He said that their views on the judiciary so far had been appreciated and their views should continue to be constructive to further enhance the status of the judiciary and to continuously promote public confidence. --
BERNAMA