Held in Putrajaya on the 14th of July 2025
On 14 July 2025, C4 Center joined hundreds of Malaysian lawyers, civil society, and members of the public on the streets of Putrajaya to demonstrate against judicial interference. We reiterated the calls made by the Malaysian Bar for the immediate release of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) meeting minutes, urgent inquiries into judicial affairs, as well as the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate possible judicial interference.
This demonstration came in the wake of troubling developments affecting the judiciary. In particular, startling revelations brought to light:
- Inordinate delays in the appointment of replacements for outgoing superior court judges, in particular the positions of the Chief Justice of the Federal Court and President of the Court of Appeal;
- How candidates for these roles selected by the JAC were allegedly not taken into consideration or were not acted upon;
- A recent JAC meeting was allegedly called without the 10-day notice period as required by the JAC Act 2009; and
- Allegations of impropriety against a sitting Federal Court judge.
The walk saw demonstrators march from the Palace of Justice complex all the way down to the gates of the Perdana Putra Building in Putra Square. Throughout, chants demanding for a free and independent judiciary rang through.
