OPINION “The law is an ass” is a proverbial expression of English origin, attributed to a phrase by Charles Dickens who put it in print in ‘Oliver Twist’ in 1838. ‘Ass’ here in the English context, means donkey/idiot.

S Shashikumar, who was found dead in Kluang Prison in May this year, was sentenced to 10 years jail when he was a 22 year old youth. He was uneducated, doing menial jobs and living in poverty.