Palguna: Constitutional Court Ethics Council to Discuss Complaint Against Me Tomorrow
The Chairman of the Constitutional Court Ethics Council (MKMK), I Dewa Gede Palguna, said the body has scheduled a session to discuss an ethics complaint filed by the Indonesian Student Forum (Formasi) against him. Palguna stated that the MKMK would take up the matter on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.
“We must discuss it to be fair. We will talk about it tomorrow,” he said via a messaging application on Monday, 23 February 2026.
Palguna said he would participate in the preliminary discussion but would recuse himself once deliberations moved to the substance of the complaint. He described the ethics complaint targeting him personally as a legitimate expression of public dissatisfaction.
He declined to comment further, regarding any extensive response as a subjective form of self-defence. Palguna viewed the complaint as an occupational risk arising from the discharge of his responsibilities as MKMK chairman.
“There is no other choice but to face it with an open heart and humility,” Palguna said.
The Indonesian Student Forum reported Palguna to the MKMK over alleged violations of the judicial code of ethics and conduct. The complaint was lodged whilst the MKMK is handling a separate case involving Constitutional Justice Adies Kadir, who was nominated by the House of Representatives (DPR).
The complaint contains four substantive points. One concerns Palguna’s appearance as a speaker in an online discussion in May 2024, during which he described the revision of the Constitutional Court Law as the greatest interference in its history. According to Formasi chairman Pian Andreo, Palguna’s remarks constituted harsh criticism of the DPR’s Legislative Body outside an official forum.
Formasi also took issue with Palguna’s disclosure of Justice Anwar Usman’s absence record in the 2025 annual report, arguing that this breached principles of internal confidentiality and collegiality as it was done before any internal resolution mechanism had been finalised.
Additionally, Formasi contended that Palguna employed emotional rhetoric whilst carrying out his duties. He was singled out for declaring “My heart is shattered” in response to conditions at the Constitutional Court, which Formasi deemed an unobjective stance for an ethics guardian. The forum also highlighted Palguna’s record of having been examined by an ethics board in connection with the bribery case of former Constitutional Justice Patrialis Akbar in 2017.
Pian said that an MKMK chairman is expected to demonstrate unblemished moral integrity and consistent ethical maturity. However, Formasi perceived a pattern of behaviour by Palguna that risked eroding ethical standards within the Constitutional Court.
“The MKMK chairman has exceeded the bounds of ethical propriety for his office and has shown a tendency towards personalisation of authority that is inconsistent with the values of judicial independence,” Pian said.
He also referenced Palguna’s statements during a meeting with DPR Commission III on Wednesday, 18 February 2026, which specifically addressed the complaint against Adies Kadir.
Formasi demanded that the MKMK follow up on their report by conducting a thorough and transparent examination. They also called on the MKMK to impose fair sanctions in order to preserve the authority of the judiciary.