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Lawyers scolded for bad behaviour

Tuesday, 11 December 2007 08:27am

©The Star (Used by permission)
by Ong Yee Ting

PENANG: A High Court judge here ticked off two lawyers for behaving like thugs and using “uncourtly” language inside a courtroom.

Justice Datuk Abdul Rahim Uda said it was unbecoming of the lawyers to be involved in a heated exchange at a magistrate’s court and asked if they were “training to become pelakon tambahan (extras)”.

“Assuming that media reports on the heated exchange in the magistrate’s court on July 9 are true, it is an embarrassment to us.

“I have been given a blow-by- blow account of what happened at the lower court,” he said during the hearing of a submission by defence counsel R.S.N. Rayer for the High Court to set aside a magistrate's court order to handcuff his client, Dr P. Ganesan, while waiting for his bail papers to be signed.

Dr Ganesan, 36, was charged with criminally intimidating retiree K. Krishnasamy by uttering threatening words on Feb 1 at the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Centre in Jalan Kebun Bunga.

Said Justice Abdul Rahim: “The trial has yet to begin, so don’t start sensationalising things that would end up being played up by the media every day.”

Rayer had submitted that Dr Ganesan had shown no intention of running away and there was no need for him to be handcuffed.

“He had surrendered his passport and turned up in court on his own after being released on police bail,” he said, adding that his client was not asking for special treatment because he was a doctor.

The drama in the magistrate’s court unfolded when policemen moved to handcuff Dr Ganesan and Rayer made an application against it.

Datuk K. Kumaraendran, who was holding a watching brief for Krishnasamy had objected, saying that Dr Ganesan should not be given preferential treatment because of his profession.

Rayer also submitted that the prosecuting officer had not made an application for Dr Ganesan to be handcuffed and it was only Kumaraendran who was pressing for it to be done.

Justice Abdul Rahim chided the watching brief counsel for not having respect for the court.

He allowed Rayer’s application for the lower court order to be set aside.