Karpal Singh fell from his wheelchair

source - the star online / bernama

KUANTAN: Karpal Singh fell from his wheelchair when he was about to attend a High Court hearing involving Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and logging company Seruan Gemilang Makmur Sdn Bhd here Friday.

The Bukit Gelugor member of Parliament who was also an attorney for Seruan Gemilang, was initially carried by several aides up the stairs at the court complex with him remaining in the wheelchair.

But they lost balance and Karpal was tipped onto the five-foot way.

"It's time for us to have a good system with facilities for the disabled.

“Fortunately nothing happened to me. If something had, there'd be another by-election," he told reporters after the court proceedings.

He said this was the first time that he had fallen from the wheelchair.

He said his back hurt and he found difficulty in moving his hands, initially, after the incident, he said. Karpal, 69, became wheelchair-bound after a road accident on the way home from the Bayan Lepas International Airport in Penang on Jan 29, 2005.

Friday's court proceedings wa to hear the mentri besar's application for a stay of execution of a RM63 million judgement in favour of Seruan Gemilang following a suit for a breach of agreement allegedly committed by the Pahang government.

In court, Karpal and co-counsel Rajoo D. Moothy asked Justice Datuk V.T. Singham for more time to reply to an affidavit filed by Adnan who was represented by lawyer Datuk Shafie Abdullah and State Legal Adviser Datuk Mat Zara'Ai Alias on Wednesday.

Following this, the court postponed the hearing to next Thursday.