Kuala Lampur, Feb. 19 -- More than 20 years ago in the case of Public Prosecutor v Karpal Singh [2002], the accused, a lawyer, was charged with an offence of sedition. When the case was called up for hearing, the accused applied for certain persons to be granted observer status.

High Court Judge Augustine Paul (as he then was) dismissed the application. The learned judge ruled as follows:

(1) The concept of open justice had two aspects; firstly, with regard to proceedings in the court itself it required that they should be held in open court to which the press and public were admitted and, secondly, in criminal cases at any rate, all evidence communicated to the court must be communicated publicly. This ensured transparency in court pro...