Undignified announcement of judicial review outcome

Business

LAI SEE

Howard Winn

Call us naive but we were a little shocked yesterday at the way in which the judgment was announced on whether to grant a judicial review on aspects of the proposed Shek Kwu Chau incinerator.

We assumed a matter like this would be conducted with the dignity that accompanies judicial proceedings at the High Court and, for that matter, lower courts. About 30 people gathered outside Court No 14, including the press, green groups and other interested parties. Suddenly, the door opened and a clerk called out two names. Two figures appeared and signed for their copies of the judgment and then disappeared, leaving the assembled totally mystified as to what had happened.

We eventually gathered that leave to seek a judicial review had been dismissed. We wandered off to the press office at the High Court, which said it was printing 20 copies of the judgment which, at 80 pages a copy, seemed wasteful.

Why not hand out a brief summary of the judgment and put the full version online? We gather that the judgment won’t be online for a further three days. It was all rather shambolic and not what a casual observer might expect from the High Court. Many might agree it could do a lot better.

Have you got any stories that Lai See should know about? E-mail them to howard.winn@scmp.com [1]