Junior judges facing too much pressure due to KPI, alleges MP

PARLIAMENT | The implementation of Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in courts for speedy disposal of cases has caused anxiety among subordinate court judges, said Ipoh MP M Kulasegaran today.

The DAP lawmaker said this is especially so for judges in Ipoh Court, where the superiors of such judges "peeped" over them to check their progress in handling court cases.

"I am disturbed, when the KPI (system) entered the court nine years ago, it was good. We accepted it gladly because it accelerated court procedures.

"However, now the bottom line is disposing of cases as soon as possible; when a court interpreter was not available, lawyers were asked to prepare one.

"The director of the Sessions Court in Ipoh even came as early as 8am to 'peep' in the court, to find out whether the interpreter was present, and the court was functioning," Kulasegaran, who is also a lawyer by profession, alleged while winding up the Budget 2018 debate in Dewan Rakyat today.

The emphasis on KPI has spawned "extremists" in court who prioritized achieving their KPI rather than having a fair trial, he claimed.

In 2009, the government set a time limit of 12 months and nine months for lower courts to dispose of criminal and civil cases, respectively.

The High Court, Court of Appeal and the Federal Court, meanwhile, were given 12 months to resolve all criminal and civil cases.

In the Ipoh "peeping" incident, Kulasegaran said the judges on the bench and the interpreters found the move strange, as the said director allegedly sat in the gallery to watch the trial proceedings.

"(I was made to understand) that on the first day of the case management, parties must submit all their files and a trial date must be set."

Under such pressure, courts will be forced to continue with a trial, even when a witness is not present, he added.

De facto law minister Azalina Othman Said was taken by surprise by the allegations and said this was the first time she has heard about such incident.

"This is quite bad. By right, justice delayed is justice denied, but in accelerating court cases, fairness should be considered," she said, further urging Kulasegaran to write to her on the matter.- Mkini