The Federal Court's judgment in a case brought against Transmile Group Bhd's CEO Gan Boon Aun in March had far reaching implications on the rights of an individual, said lawyer Gopal Sri Ram.

Gopal, a former Federal Court judge who is now representing Gan, said the judgment meant that if a law was passed and it affected one's life and personal liberty under Article 5 of the Federal Constitution, the government or prosecution can now argue that this violation of rights was done in the interest of the community and therefore the law was good, even if its illegal.

"If the police throw you in prison, and the procedure followed is unfair, it is alright because it is in the interests of the masses," he told reporters today...