A judge with the High Court in Kuala Lumpur recused herself today from hearing judicial review applications filed by four applicants against the Election Commission.

Justice Hanipah Farukullah told parties in her chambers that she was recusing herself on grounds that she knows EC chairperson Mohd Hashim Abdullah and that he is a family friend.

With this, lawyers for the parties told reporters, Chief Judge of Malaya Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin would decide on who would be the new judge to hear the case.

Today's case saw lawyers for Bersih 2.0 chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah, the Selangor government, three residents from Hulu Selangor and three from the Setiawangsa parliamentary constituency, who want to challenge the latest redelineation exercise of the EC.

Maria and the Setiawangsa residents were represented by lawyer Syahredzan Johan, while the Selangor government was represented by Ambiga Sreenevasan and Shahid Adli Kamaruin.

Lawyer Joanne Chua appeared for the three from the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency.

Seeking land mass info be furnished to the public

It was reported that Maria filed the judicial review application last month to stop the EC’s redelineation exercise. Maria, a voter in the Petaling Jaya Utara constituency, is seeking a declaration that sufficient land mass information be furnished to the public for each parliamentary and state seat.

She has alleged that the EC had acted in bad faith, illegally and committed procedural impropriety when issuing the notice for redelineation to all constituencies.

Maria in the application claimed the commission was withholding the information on land mass from the public, which would only be revealed to Parliament or state legislative assemblies later.

She claimed that such information was needed to enable voters to make an informed decision as there was no guarantee that Parliament or the legislative assemblies could scrutinise the EC proposals competently or effectively.

Furthermore without the information, voters could not make an effective objection as required under Section 5B of the 13th Schedule of the Federal Constitution.

Similarly, the Selangor government filed a judicial review application on Oct 19, for the court to declare as null and void the EC’s Sept 15 redelineation notice, its recommendations, the electoral rolls used in the redelineation exercise and the draft constituency plan for Selangor.

The state government also wants to compel the EC to publish a new notice with new recommendations that “truly” follow the Thirteenth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.