A bench of the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the Shah Alam High Court which granted leave to hear a case filed by staff and teachers of the Universiti Malaya challenging the government’s vaccination program against COVID-19.
The applicants applied for leave to ask for an order quashing the vaccination program as laid out in a government directive. They argue that mandatory vaccination violates their constitutional rights and freedoms, and that the government should give them freedom to choose whether or not to get vaccinated.
After the High Court granted leave in May 2022, the Attorney General opposed the application. According to the law, the Attorney General may ask for judicial review about an application for leave when it deems that such application is frivolous or vexatious. The bench of the Court of Appeal, however, pointed out that this is not the case with the application at hand and that therefore the merits of the case should be heard.
