KUALA LUMPUR: A less-than-amused Karpal Singh found the Inspector-General of Police's (IGP) comments about him bordering on the bizarre and described them as irrational.

IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan said on Monday that Karpal's demand that police stop interrogating witnesses after office hours was akin to asking police stations to close at 5pm.

The police chief sarcastically said that those who wish to lodge police reports after office hours should see Karpal.

"The ruling by Justice Ariff Md Yusoff that statements from witnesses in investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) can only be recorded during office hours, that is from 8.30am to 5.30pm, has nothing to do with police stations being open 24 hours for police reports to be lodged in relation to crimes," said Karpal at parliament lobby today.

"Crimes occur round the clock (and police stations should stay open) and not for the purposes of recording statements," he added.

According to Karpal, although Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code empowers the police to record statements from witnesses, there is no time frame stated.

"However, Rule 20 of Lock-up Rules 1953 provides that suspects are required to be confined to their cells between 6.30pm and 6.30am.

"If suspects are given time to rest between 6.30pm and 6.30am, it defies logic and common sense how witnesses, who are not even suspects, can be denied this protection," said Karpal.

The veteran MP also described Musa's comment that statements can be recorded after office hours inside the lock-up as "mind-boggling and clearly in contravention of Rule 20 of the Lock-up Rules".

"You cannot question a suspect during his rest hours while he is confined in a lock-up. A lock-up is not a place conducive for recording statements, let alone the recording being done at odd hours of the night," Karpal told reporters.

Quoting Federal Court Judge Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdoolcader from a case in 1983, Karpal said that the judge had said that any methods of interrogation of witnesses outside the norms must be able to withstand the test of strict curial scrutiny.

"…long hours and odd hours of interrogation stated in the station diaries, appears to be suggestive of oppression," said Eusoffe in the Rahmat Satiman case.

Karpal advised witnesses who have been questioned beyond office hours to consider filing suits against the police for false imprisonment.