The man who awarded an unprecedented RM2.5mil in damages to an ex-ISA detainee for having been unlawfully arrested and beaten up during detention.
I decided I wasn't completely qualified and knowledgeable to comment on Justice Hishamudin but Human Rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar (whom I recently featured in conjunction with Article 11) has this to say about him:
I have the highest regard and the deepest admiration for this man of principle. I moved the Court for the order suspending the re-arrest Ghani Haroon and Gobalakrishnan.
Justice Hishamudin’s sense of fair play and justice came to the fore that day as he recognized that a re-arrest would be inhumane. It was a defining moment, and it shaped my understanding of how far the interests of justice could be advanced with a just man on the bench.
He embodies all the qualities that a Judge should have. His humility, patience and judicious temperament are well known at the Bar as is his willingness to learn from the lawyers appearing before him.
Which takes me to my point. With all these qualities and more, why is Justice Hishamudin still a High Court judge? He was elevated to the High Court bench in 1995. He has an excellent track record. Judges elevated after him have made it to the Federal Court, a court in which Justice Hishmudin should be sitting.
Perhaps it is these very qualities, cherished by the Bar, that has kept Justice Hishamudin in the High Court.
Read the whole post here, it is too good to miss. It especially points out why this ruling does NOT represent an independent judiciary.
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