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New law of contempt will keep court’s role from being usurped by others

I welcome the news that the Administration of Justice (Protection) Bill was introduced in Parliament and will soon be in our statute books (“New law defines contempt of court, spells out penalties”; July 12).

I welcome the news that the Administration of Justice (Protection) Bill was introduced in Parliament and will soon be in our statute books (“New law defines contempt of court, spells out penalties”; July 12).

With the proliferation of online news, when contentious issues have been before the courts, netizens have taken the liberty to assume the role of prosecution or judge.

When the Bill is passed, they will have to be more careful about uttering the first thing that comes to mind.

Of the three types of contempt, however, the offence of scandalising the court is the most controversial.

In the United Kingdom, the offence has not been successfully prosecuted since the 1930s.

In 2012, the Law Commission in England and Wales studied whether the offence was necessary and felt that it should be abolished, and it was.

Still, scandalising the court is a common law offence in other countries such as Australia.

Its High Court has stated: “The authority of the law rests on public confidence, and it is important to the stability of society that the confidence of the public should not be shaken by baseless attacks on the integrity or impartiality of courts or judges.”

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