Lifeline for judges

(The Star) – The Conference of Rulers is expected to have approved the promotions recommended by the Prime Minister’s newly established Judicial Appointments Commis-sion (JAC) at its meeting yesterday.

Among the judges are those who were said to have been sidelined for more than 10 years, such as Court of Appeal Justice Datuk Gopal Sri Ram and High Court Justice Datuk Hishamudin Yunus.

It is understood that the nine-member JAC recommended a list of names of serving judges for promotion to the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court that largely followed seniority.

Besides Justice Sri Ram, the two others expected to be promoted from the Court of Appeal to the Federal Court will be drawn from Justices Datuk Wira Ghazali Yusoff, Tengku Datuk Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud and Datuk James Foong.

Five High Court Judges are expected to move up to the Court of Appeal and some of the names discussed include Justices Datuk Kang Hwee Gee, Datuk Tee Ah Sing, Datuk Jeffery Tan, Datuk Azhar Ma’ah and Datuk Ramly Ali.

An important development since the JAC was set up in mid-February is that Chief Justice Tan Sri Zaki Tun Azmi, who is the JAC chairman, had asked to meet Bar Council members and two state Bar chairmen for an informal consultation.

“This is a positive move because the Bar hasn’t been consulted in many years,” said newly elected Bar Council chairman Ragunath Kesavan, who was then deputy chairman.

Asked whether the Bar was expecting judges who were sidelined to go up the ladder now, he replied: “We have a more transparent system than before which makes it more difficult to exercise favouritism.

The 216th meeting of the Conference of Rulers discussed, among other things, issues related to “fatwa” (edicts), the position of Islamic colleges and the appointment of judges of the Federal Court and Court of Appeal yesterday, said the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, Engku Tan Sri Ibrahim Engku Ngah in a statement, reports Bernama.