Nearly 170 well-known academics, civil activists and other Singaporeans have penned a statement of support for blogger Alex Au Wai Pang.

This comes after the Attorney General's Chambers was given permission on Wednesday to take legal action against Mr Au for contempt of court, for an Oct 5 blog post in which Mr Au allegedly accused the Supreme Court of deliberately manipulating hearing dates.

Mr Au's supporters said in a statement posted online on Friday, that it is important to uphold public confidence in the judiciary. "However, this cannot mean that our judges should not be subject to scrutiny. The AGC's action, rather than enhancing confidence in the judiciary, might weaken public confidence. It also implies that the public is not allowed to form opinions on judicial processes."

The supporters, which include human rights group Maruah president Braema Mathi, actor Lim Kay Siu and former Singapore Democratic Party member Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, added that "if Mr Au had erred, his claims should be rebutted in public. This would enable Singaporeans to make up their own minds".